Final Word from Monday, January 25, 2021

Chief Justice Pavel Rychetský of the Constitutional Court has stated in recent interviews that it was "absolutely unconstitutional" of the government of Andrej Babiš to close the borders last spring to departures by Czechs. He argues that foreigners may be prevented from entering, but that "no one may be prevented from leaving." He will now have to eat his words. He will have to admit, as we pointed out on Dec. 3, that the pandemic declaration of the WHO supersedes the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. EU Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are now proposing new pan-EU rules that would serve to deny the right of any Czech to leave the country if he or she did not test negative for the coronavirus "before departure." This is a clear violation of the intent of the Bill of Rights, but it is clearly legal under global pandemic rules. Rychetský simply doesn't want to admit that when Czechs need their rights the most, they have none. [ Czech Republic public health European Commission World Health Organization ]