Pandemic between health, rights and democracy Conversation with Eleonora Mongelli, vice president and general secretary of the Italian Federation of Human Rights – Italian Committee Helsinki How authoritarian regimes are reacting to the Covid-19 crisis
They are further reducing human rights
The pandemic crisis we are experiencing has undoubtedly highlighted the weaknesses of each country. This was inevitably more evident in countries led by authoritarian regimes in which, even before the spread of Covid-19, there was a repression of human rights, which was further aggravated by the emergency measures adopted. Certainly, the most worrying aspect that concerns many of these nations is that of censorship. A method of repression already known, but whose global consequences in terms of human lives are often underestimated. The complete lack of transparency, the cover-up of real data and the arbitrary arrests of those who first raised the alarm on the danger of the virus, have prevented there being a rapid and effective response to the onset of Covid-19 and this we are all paying the consequences.It has countries in particular to report
In China, for example, there are at least 5,000 people unjustly arrested, including bloggers, doctors, professors and journalists, three of whom have disappeared. In Russia, the government, in addition to hiding the danger of the virus from the population, has arrested a doctor for distributing masks to the poorest people and while the numbers of deaths increase, there are strange incidents such as those of the three doctors who fell out of the window for reasons not still cleared up. In Iran, on the other hand, the government silenced citizens who bravely informed about the virus via social media or blogs by resorting to intimidating acts and false confessions on state TVs.
However, the episodes of repression were not recorded only in the countries most affected by the virus such as those mentioned above, but also in many others, such as Moldova, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Cambodia, Philippines and Uganda where intimidation, especially against minorities (ethnic, religious, gender), have increased considerably and the restrictive measures generated by the state of emergency have been the pretext for quite other purposes. He thinks that the pandemic emergency could also undermine European democracies
Any emergency situation can actually lead to a shrinkage of rights if proper attention is not paid, even in established democracies. These are particular moments in which restrictive and sometimes discriminatory measures can be adopted in the name of safety, in which laws are made that are not clear due to lack of time and in which we are all emotionally more vulnerable, therefore less attentive. For this it is necessary that the state of emergency be controlled and defined over time. Unfortunately, the bad news in these particular days has also reached us from European countries such as Hungary, Slovenia and Poland. This makes us understand how important it is to never let your guard down when it comes to fundamental rights and freedoms. What Europe should do
Firstly, I believe that Europe and Europeans need to understand that human rights are a crucial and global issue that does not exclusively concern the countries where they are violated. The experience of the pandemic shows us, in fact, that the modus operandi of authoritarian regimes can have an impact that goes beyond their borders, with consequences for everyone without distinction. We cannot help but wonder what would have happened if there had been transparent management by China from the beginning. Secondly, I strongly believe that the discussion on our restart cannot ignore that on the serious episodes of abuse and censorship that have occurred in many countries and of which we have witnessed, both because our silence would make us complicit in those crimes, and because only by seeking the truth about what really happened will we be able to win this challenge and be prepared for the next one. In this sense the president of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen has already expressed herself, opening to the possibility of an independent investigation into the origin of the virus.What is happening in Italy
The Covid-19 emergency has brought out the weaknesses of our country as well, such as that of the prison situation, which was already well known. Suffice it to say that despite the many condemnations of the ECHR, this problem has never been seriously addressed, even now that it has become of an unacceptable gravity.
However, there is another equally worrying phenomenon that has intensified in recent weeks, but whose effects on Italy are perhaps not yet perceived and that of disinformation. These are real propaganda operations already present before the pandemic emergency, but which have intensified with it. In particular, we have seen it in the days of aid to Italy when posts and articles on the web often referable to Russian and Chinese sources in which, while the international aid interventions of Moscow or Beijing were praised, misleading information about Europe was spread. in order to undermine its foundations and sow distrust of the population. In some cases we have even become a propaganda tool. For example, in the manipulated video posted by the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Minister, on his official twitter account, in which some Italians who, in a flash mob thanked the doctors, were passed off as “the Italians who thank China by singing the hymn Chinese”. The most serious aspect is that, by the time these fakes are discovered, disinformation has already widely found fertile ground to spread and counter it requires everyone’s effort and intervention.The use of new technologies during the Covid-19 crisis is worrying or positive
The technology is neutral, it depends on how it is used. Again the behavior of democracies and authoritarian governments is very different. Like Fidu, we talked a lot about the use that dictatorships make of technologies. Especially in China, where technology has been used for years to carry out high surveillance, from facial recognition of people on the street or during demonstrations, to the control of minorities or dissidents. The Chinese also have high-tech prison camps, where they place activists belonging to the Uyghur or Kazakh minority, for example. Facial recognition and other technologies were also used to arrest protesters in Hong Kong. China then used these new technologies to check that the quarantine was respected and the contacts that had been made, during the Covid-19 crisis, thus already expanding its maniacal control over the population. For Beijing, the so-called “New Silk Road” is also a tool to export its methods of repression of the population with the use of high technology, as is happening in Kazakhstan. “Like Fidu, we recently talked about it in a conference at the European Parliament.
The new technologies themselves are not bad, it depends on the use made of them. By staying in Asia, South Korea has shown that new technologies can be put to good use in a democracy. The application, which he used to track people who may have had contact with an infected person, worked very well. We hope that Italy is inspired by South Korea for its application. The important thing is to limit data retention over time and transparency on what you do with our data.
