"As states around the world
adopt emergency measures to address the crisis, it is critical that they
continue to uphold the rule of law, protect and respect international standards
and basic principles of legality, and the right to access justice, remedies and
due process," the UN said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres has urged governments to be transparent, responsive and accountable in
their COVID-19 response and ensure that any emergency measures are legal,
proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory. “The best response is one that
responds proportionately to immediate threats while protecting human rights and
the rule of law,” he said.
The UN states the concerns in many
countries. They are:
- Measures to control the flow of information and crackdown on freedom of expression and press freedom against an existing background of shrinking civic space.
- Arrest, detention, prosecution or persecution of political opponents, journalists, doctors and healthcare workers, activists and others for allegedly spreading “fake news”.
- Aggressive cyber-policing and increased online surveillance.
- Postponement of elections is raising serious constitutional issues in some cases and may lead to rising tensions.
History and Background
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly
passed a resolution on November 8, 2007, that September 15 of each year would
be observed as the International Day of Democracy. Their goal for this day is
to promote government’s role in maintaining open democracy among all member
nations of the UN Charter and to celebrate the system of values democracy
promotes, giving citizens the power to make decisions regarding all aspects of
their lives.
In their efforts to advocate for democratic societies around the world, the UN serves a variety of purposes including monitoring elections, working to strengthen democratic institutions and accountability, and assisting nations recovering from conflict to create their own constitution.