The pandemic is spreading human rights violations along with disease

The unprecedented global health crisis has helped expose the long history of inequality and abuse towards Lebanon’s marginalized groupsBEIRUT: Since the global health emergency began, governments in a number of countries have taken a number of measures that inherently violate human rights in their responses to the pandemic. Rights violations during the pandemic have ranged from the inadequacy in the health care system to the attack of the freedom of expression and the targeting of vulnerable groups, in addition to other key violations.Under the guise of combating the pandemic, the free flow of information has been curtailed in many countries. Numerous governments have repressed freedom of expression and access to critical information about the spread of the virus and related health issues.Other governments have taken action against journalists, health workers and whistle-blowers for reporting the real situation of the crisis on the ground, as seen in countries such as China, Egypt, Brazil, Turkey, Algeria, Russia, Iran, Jordan, Thailand, the Philippines, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.Some people who have expressed their opinion on the government’s handling of the pandemic have been subjected to harassment, imprisonment and criminal complaints, which violates the universal...