Hayward: 7 Ways Governments Used the Coronavirus Pandemic to Crush Human Rights

Breitbart ^ | 25 Dec 2020 | John Hayward

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Human rights activists were generally downbeat about the global state of affairs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, often pointing to 2020 as one of the worst years in memory for declining civil liberties.

Here are seven ways governments have used the Chinese coronavirus pandemic to diminish human rights and civil liberties.

Freedom of Speech: The United Nations was among many agencies and advocacy groups to worry about the damage inflicted on freedom of speech during the pandemic, which included both rampant disinformation and ham-handed restrictions on speech in the name of controlling “disinformation.”

“People have died because governments have lied, hidden information, detained reporters, failed to level with people about the nature of the threat, and criminalized individuals under the guise of ‘spreading false information. People have suffered because some governments would rather protect themselves from criticism than allow people to share information, learn about the outbreak, know what officials are or are not doing to protect them,” U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression David Kaye said in July.

“In the past three months, numerous governments have used the COVID [Chinese coronavirus] -pandemic to repress expression in violation of their obligations under human rights law,” Kaye continued, citing Belarus, Cambodia, China, Iran, Egypt, India, Myanmar, and Turkey as nations of particular concern.

“I am further concerned about efforts to repress disinformation using tools of criminal law, which are likely to hamper the free flow of information, such as in Brazil and Malaysia,” Kaye added.

The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), an international education and development nonprofit, published a report in September called Freedom of Expression During Covid-19 that took a detailed look at how 20 different governments used the pandemic to curtail freedom of speech. Many of these restrictions...

[PGalt]

Enemies foreign...enemies within. The revolution never stops. - Saul Alinsky IIRC “Rules for Radicals”

[immadashell]

People have suffered because some governments would rather protect themselves from criticism than allow people to share information, learn about the outbreak, know what officials are or are not doing to protect them,”

Nothing more needs to be said. It’s time for massive passive resistance.

[libertylover]

Yea.
1-John Roberts
2-John Roberts
3-John Roberts
5-John Roberts
6-John Roberts
7-John Roberts

[upchuck]

Let’s not forget the potentially mind altering denationalization of mandatory mask wearing.

[relictele]

Most of these are self-evident but when the source is the UN, corrupt PR arm of third world despots, you should always take it with a grain of salt.