The UN Secretary General warned against repressive measures against the COVID-19 of the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic is a crisis of humanity that is rapidly becoming a human rights crisis. This is stated in a video message by the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres. According to him, the crisis caused by the pandemic exposed discrimination in the provision of public services to solve the problem of COVID-19 and structural inequality, which prevents access to them, writes The Times of Israel. Read also: UN Secretary General assessed the risk of a coronavirus pandemic According to Guterres, the epidemic has also led to an increase in hate speech, discrimination against vulnerable groups, and the risks of a severe response from the authorities under the pretext of security. The UN Secretary General warned that with the rise of ethnonationalism, populism, authoritarianism and the suppression of human rights in some countries, the crisis could be a pretext for repressive measures for non-pandemic purposes. Also on the topic: The Head of the UN called on the countries of Africa to intensify efforts against the pandemic. In this regard Guterres pointed to the need of governments more than ever before to ensure transparency, rapid response and responsibility. We must ensure that any emergency measures, including a state of emergency, are legal, proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory, that they have a specific focus and time frame and are as stringent as possible to protect public health, the UN Secretary General said. According to the news agency, in March the UN Secretary General António Guterres, against the background of the pandemic of coronavirus infection, called for an urgent end to armed conflicts in all corners of the world.