Recently, a gathering of the UN shifted its focus on the corona cases that are increasing. In a diminished spotlight due to the Covid-19 pandemic, leading human rights defenders on Friday advised people in these tough times to connect through politics and vote, too. “In many places around the world, participation is being denied and civic space is being crushed,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on the sidelines of the annual UN gathering of world leaders, this year held online. People must take part in the decisions that affect their lives, he stated, noting “new heights” of inequalities and warning: “The window to address climate change is almost shut.”
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In the circumspect language of discretion, no names were named, no authorities were called out. But around the world, the crack of batons and the tang of pepper spray have been common as some authorities are accused of using the cover of Covid-19 restrictions to commit abuses and limit free speech. In Venezuela, advocates said quarantine was used to corrode civil liberties. In Kenya, watchdogs said police implementing curfew beat or shot dead commoners including a 13-year-old boy. People must push back even in this socially distanced world, speakers said.
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UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned of a “crisis of governance” and marginalization of voices that she said will only deepen complaints and harm all of society. “We are witnessing an erosion of public trust in institutions and traditional politics,” said Eamon Gilmore, the European Union’s special representative for human rights. Young people, in particular, are feeling increasingly insecure, he said. Economies are crumbling in the pandemic, erasing job opportunities, and millions of students are unable to return to school.