Emergency powers in virus fight must not be used to quash dissent: UN experts

Countries going into crisis mode over the spread of the deadly new coronavirus must not use the emergency measures to suppress human rights, a group of independent UN experts insisted Monday.

The rights experts, who are appointed by the United Nations but who do not speak on behalf of the world body, said they recognised "the severity of the current health crisis and acknowledge that the use of emergency powers is allowed by international law in response to significant threats."
The emergency, the experts said, "should not function as a cover for repressive action under the guise of protecting health nor should it be used to silence the work of human rights defenders."
"Restrictions taken to respond to the virus must be motivated by legitimate public health goals and should not be used simply to quash dissent."
They warned that some states might find the use of emergency powers "attractive because it offers shortcuts."