As Amnesty publishes a report detailing allegations of police racial discrimination during coronavirus lockdowns, Spain’s former Justice Minister tells FRANCE 24 that the claims must be investigated, and if proven, prosecuted. Juan Fernando Lopez-Aguilar, chair of the EU Parliament’s Justice and Civil Liberties committee, also calls for abuses of civil liberties during EU states’ coronavirus responses, to be punished, if proven.
As Spain and other states re-impose localised lockdowns after initially relaxing their restrictions, the Spanish MEP defends the re-opening of internal EU borders, saying that without the Schengen visa-free travel zone, “there is no recovery”.
Finally, as EU heads of state try to thrash out a multi-billion Euro deal to restart the continent’s economy, Lopez-Aguilar says that EU solidarity is essential because “this is nobody’s fault – there are no culprits here, only victims of the coronavirus crisis”.
Produced by Isabelle Romero, Mathilde Bénézet and Perrine Desplats.
