About Me
COVID-19 Empowers & Creates Tyrants
By Charlotte Robinson, April 02, 2020
As leaders around the world pass emergency decrees & legislation expanding their reach during the Coronavirus pandemic the big concern is if they relinquish this power after the pandemic subsides. We’re watching daily how the Trump administration is handling this situation but in other countries it’s even more questionable. In Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has taken the authority to impose curfews & censor the news media as journalists are being sued & intimidated for criticizing the government’s response to the outbreak. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel authorized an internal security agency to track citizens using a secret trove of cellphone data developed for counterterrorism. By tracing people’s movements the government can punish those who defy isolation orders with up to six months in prison. Fionnuala Ni Aolain, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism & Human Rights stated, “We could have a parallel epidemic of authoritarian & repressive measures following close if not on the heels of a health epidemic.” Globally with new emergency laws there has been a resurgence of old fears of martial law. The Philippine Congress passed legislation last week that gave President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers & $5.4 billion to deal with the pandemic. Lawmakers watered down an earlier draft law that would have allowed the president to take over private businesses. Concerned Lawyers for Civil Liberties a Philippine Rights Group stated, “This limitless grant of emergency powers is tantamount to autocracy”, noting that Mr. Duterte had once compared the country’s Constitution to a “scrap of toilet paper.”
So Stay Safe & Healthy but with Eyes Wide Open.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Featured Post
Hyacinth Foundation 39th Gala (AUDIO)
Hyacinth Foundation will host its 39th annual Gala & Silent Auction in celebration of those who have fought to end HIV/AIDS in New Jerse...
Popular Posts
-
Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) will hold its 27th annual Against the Tide Athletic Fundraising Event at DCR's Hopkinton ...
-
The annual LGBTQ holiday themed Holly Folly Festival takes place from December 2nd to the 4th in Provincetown, MA. Since 1997 Holly Folly ha...
-
California's economy is so bad that for 2 nights ABC World News w/ Charles Gibson broadcast was from Los Angeles. Of course it was neve...
No comments:
Post a Comment