The UN on Monday slammed countries that are using the pandemic to justify cracking down on dissent and suppressing criticism.
Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s main annual session, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres charged that authorities in a number of nations were using restrictions meant to halt the spread of COVID-19 to weaken opposition.
“Using the pandemic as a pretext, authorities in some countries have deployed heavy-handed security responses and emergency measures to crush dissent, criminalise basic freedoms, silence independent reporting and curtail the activities of non-governmental organisations,” he said, without naming the countries.
Speaking in a pre-recorded video message to the largely virtual meeting of the Geneva-based body, the UN chief lamented that “pandemic-related restrictions are being used to subvert electoral processes, weaken opposition voices and suppress criticism” in some countries.
At the same time, he said, “human…
