Andorra 2022

Andorra maintained a total ban on abortion. A woman human rights defender who raised concerns about women’s rights, including access to abortion, was awaiting trial accused of defamation. Legislation was passed that discriminated against women and girls choosing to wear headscarves at school.

Sexual and reproductive rights

A total ban on abortion remained in place. Consequently, those in need of an abortion had to travel to other countries to seek the healthcare they needed, inflicting additional stress and reinforcing the stigma surrounding abortion.

Human rights defenders

In October, a judge issued an indictment against Vanessa Mendoza Cortés, president of the organization Stop Violence, accusing her of “crimes against the prestige of the institutions”, which carries a potential fine of up to EUR 30,000. The public prosecutor brought criminal charges against her in 2020 following a complaint by the Andorran government after her intervention at the CEDAW Committee and statements she made to the press about abortion rights and calling for an improvement to women’s rights. In June 2021, the prosecutor dropped two of the charges, but kept the charge liable to a fine. Her trial was pending at the end of the year.

In February, a report by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe urged the authorities to guarantee the right to freedom of expression to all those speaking out about sexual and reproductive rights, including access to abortion.

Discrimination

In April, parliament passed legislation banning the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols in educational institutions. The law prevents Muslim women and girls who choose to wear a headscarf from exercising their rights to non-discrimination, equality, education, freedom of religion, expression, bodily autonomy and access to public life.

Freedom of expression

Defamation laws that include the criminalization of legitimate criticism of the authorities remained in force, in breach of international human rights law.