UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned about ''rising ethno-nationalism, populism, authoritarianism and a pushback against human rights,'' in many nations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The UN chief pointed to existing discrimination in the delivery of public services to tackle COVID-19 and the ''structural inequalities that impede access to them.''
"We see the disproportionate effects on certain communities, the rise of hate speech, the targeting of vulnerable groups, and the risks of heavy-handed security responses undermining the health response," Guterres said. "The crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic,'' he added.
''Heavy-handed security responses undermine the health response and can exacerbate existing threats to peace and security or create new ones,'' Guterres said. ''The message is clear: People and their rights must be front and center.''
It did not take long. Three weeks after the outbreak, the Hungarian parliament conferred formidable executive powers on prime minister Viktor Orbán, allowing him to rule by decree. Numerous governments have exploited the pandemic to undermine democratic principles, violate human rights and perpetrate crimes against citizens and migrants.
https://www.dw.com/en/un-chief-pandemic-is-fast-becoming-human-rights-crisis/a-53214547
The UN chief pointed to existing discrimination in the delivery of public services to tackle COVID-19 and the ''structural inequalities that impede access to them.''
"We see the disproportionate effects on certain communities, the rise of hate speech, the targeting of vulnerable groups, and the risks of heavy-handed security responses undermining the health response," Guterres said. "The crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic,'' he added.
''Heavy-handed security responses undermine the health response and can exacerbate existing threats to peace and security or create new ones,'' Guterres said. ''The message is clear: People and their rights must be front and center.''
It did not take long. Three weeks after the outbreak, the Hungarian parliament conferred formidable executive powers on prime minister Viktor Orbán, allowing him to rule by decree. Numerous governments have exploited the pandemic to undermine democratic principles, violate human rights and perpetrate crimes against citizens and migrants.
https://www.dw.com/en/un-chief-pandemic-is-fast-becoming-human-rights-crisis/a-53214547
No comments:
Post a Comment