Editorial - Apr/May 2020

This edition of Global Insight went to press following a month in which the World Health Organization declared the spread of Covid-19 a pandemic. The responses of countries around the world have been extreme. Desperate times call for desperate measures, of course, but, even allowing for that, some moves have prompted serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental human rights.

The situation brings to mind the response to serious threats to life such as terrorist attacks like 9/11. When those in power panic and pass emergency legislation, the fragile balance between security and freedom is disrupted. The response to Covid-19 is unprecedented and one aspect that’s remarkable is that, even in liberal democratic countries, populations are willingly submitting to some of the most draconian limitations of freedom seen in peacetime.

Meanwhile, legislation passed at the end of March by the Hungarian parliament gave Prime Minister Viktor Orbán power to rule by decree, putting in place a state of emergency for an indefinite period, and without review. Hungary was already cause for concern, given attacks on human rights and marginalised groups. This new legislation allows for those found to have published false or distorted facts, hampering protection of the public, or alarming and agitating the public, to be sentenced to five years in prison. Draconian, yes; it’s also an unacceptable assault on freedom of expression. Hungary is not alone: extreme measures are being either considered or introduced in India, Russia and all around the world.

The importance of freedom of expression in such circumstances cannot be overstated. Human rights and rule of law are only preserved if there’s media freedom. The devastating consequences of suppressing freedom of expression could not have been more clearly illustrated than by the outbreak of coronavirus in China and the subsequent pandemic. To the best of our knowledge, the first cases were in December, but the scale of the threat only became apparent much later ¬– and in no small part due to the silencing of whistleblower doctors in Wuhan ¬– by which time it was a pandemic (see our column ‘Wuhan’s whistleblowers’). The cover feature of this edition (‘The fight for media freedom’) highlights the fundamental importance of free expression, at all times, not just times of crisis.