From China to Nicaragua, governments used the pandemic to suppress freedom of expression

Governments around the world, from China to Russia through Nicaragua, Venezuela or Cuba, used the pandemic as a pretext to silence criticism or restrict access to information, says a report by International Amnesty posted on Tuesday.

In the 38 pages of “Silenced and misinformed, freedom of expression in danger during the COVID-19″, the NGO details how since last year these governments “launched an unprecedented attack against freedom of expression, severely restricting rights”, censoring social networks, closing media and obstructing other communication channels.

“In the midst of a pandemic, journalists and health professionals were silenced and jailed,” explained Rajat Khosla, Head of Amnesty International. “As a result, people have been unable to access information about COVID-19, including how to protect themselves and their communities.”

“Approximately five million people lost their lives due to COVID-19, and the lack of information will probably have contributed,” he stressed.

Thus, as early as February 2020 in China, where the coronavirus was initially detected at the end of 2019, 5,511 criminal investigations had been opened against people for “deliberately fabricating and spreading false information” about the nature and scope of the epidemic.

In Nicaragua, “in addition to the violent repression of social protests that began in 2018 and a growing number of laws aimed at severely restricting the space for dissent, independent journalism and civil society, the parliament approved the Special Law on Cybercrimes in Nicaragua. October 2020 ″, says the report.

According to the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (CENIDH) this “not only represses freedom of expression and the press in Nicaragua, but also imposes the surveillance and absolute control of social networks, digital platforms, online profiles of political activists and defenders of human rights, and of all those who dare to oppose the government’s policies ”, he adds.

Criminal penalties and access to information

Also in Venezuela, “the smear and stigmatization campaigns against those who criticize the government have intensified in the last year.”

In the first eight months of the state of emergency due to the pandemic, 66 journalists and media workers were arbitrarily detained there, he denounces. And he gives the example of Darvinson Rojas, arrested in March 2020 in retaliation for his information on the spread of COVID-19 and accused of “hate speech” and “instigation to commit crimes”, still without a date for trial.

Likewise, in Cuba, Decree-Law 370, related to online expression, seemed to reinforce censorship during the pandemic, with fines for independent journalists and “arbitrary trials” for sharing information and opinions on COVID-19. Among them, the journalist Roberto Quiñones was detained for a year, he stresses.

Along the same lines, the London-based NGO denounces that in Russia, the introduction of laws against “fake news” and criminal sanctions in relation to COVID-19 will likely remain in effect once the pandemic has ended.

The report also criticizes that many countries hindered access to information by modifying freedom of information laws or suspending the obligation of public entities to allow citizens to access information in their possession.

“Several European countries, including Spain, cited the pandemic when they relaxed or suspended the deadlines for responding to requests for freedom of information through a state of emergency that suspended the deadlines for procedures of public sector bodies,” he says.

And in Brazil, “provisional measure 928” temporarily suspended the deadlines for responding to requests under the Right to Information Law and prohibited journalists or others from appealing denied requests.

In Khosla’s view, in addition to fighting misinformation, “states and social media companies must also ensure that the public has unrestricted access to accurate, evidence-based and timely information.”

“This is a crucial step” for example “to minimize doubts about vaccines, driven by misinformation,” he stressed.