UN condemns violent repressive acts by government officials on people during lockdown
“Shooting, detaining, or abusing someone for breaking a curfew because they are desperately searching for food is clearly an unacceptable and unlawful response.”- United Nations
The United Nations has condemned government security cluster officials’ “heavy hand” on people while enforcing measures of lockdown regulation compliance in countries across the world.
On Monday Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights said governments’ lockdown emergency powers should not be a weapon to take away people’s rights and enforce violence.
Bachelet said several reports from a number of countries suggested a “toxic lockdown culture” impacting drastically on the poor.
“Shooting, detaining, or abusing someone for breaking a curfew because they are desperately searching for food is clearly an unacceptable and unlawful response,” she said.
She said in some cases, people were dying because of the “inappropriate” application of measures that have been supposedly put in place to save them.
Bachelet said the regulations even made it difficult or dangerous for women to get to a hospital to give birth.
“There have been worrying cases were governments appear to be using Covid-19 as a cover for human rights violations.”
UN director of field operations, Georgette Gagnon, said many countries had adopted a “heavy-handed” and “highly militarised” security response to the virus, including South Africa.
“We’ve received reports of disproportionate use of force by security officers, particularly in poor and informal settlements,” she said.
“Rubber bullets, teargas, water guns and whips have been used to enforce social distancing in shopping lines and outside their homes.”
According to the UN more than 17 000 people have been arrested in South Africa, as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions.
She said of this number, there were cases against officers for “murder, rape, assault, discharge of firearms and corruption.”
Bachelet said the high number of arrests weakened governments’ interventions of curbing the spread as the congestion in correctional facilities further put many at risk.
Defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said the SANDF was investigating the death Collins Khosa from Alexandra, who was said to be beaten by SANDF members and died from the injuries.
Currently, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate and SANDF are investigating a number of cases of the law enforcement officials’ heavy-handedness to the public during the lockdown.
The government was set to deploy more SANDF officials, which DA leader John Steenhuisen publicly bashed.
“This militarisation of our society and the state is a threat to our democracy, regardless of the circumstance under which it takes place,” he said.
“Emergency powers should not be a weapon governments can wield to quash dissent or control the population” – @mbachelet calls on Governments to ensure #HumanRights are not violated under the guise of exceptional or emergency measures for #COVID19.
ℹ️ https://t.co/2NUHpBGXoU pic.twitter.com/qwH5UokJSg
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) April 27, 2020
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