UN leader: Some journalists stifled amid virus

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet attends the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s main annual session on February 24, 2020, in Geneva. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP FILE)

GENEVA — The United Nations Human Rights chief has said that some states are using the coronavirus outbreak as a pretext to clamp down on independent media, including the arrest and intimidation of journalists.

Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, however, did not specify which countries have used the pandemic as a “pretext to restrict information and stifle criticism.”

Bachelet noted that some political leaders have aimed their statements against journalists and media workers, and insisted that a free media is always essential – now more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is no time to blame the messenger,” Bachelet said. “Protecting journalists from harassment, threats, detention or censorship helps keep us all safe.”

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