India among 8 nations urge UN's Human Rights body to be responsible amid COVID-19 pandemic

New Delhi: Eight countries led by India and Indonesia have written to the United Nations's Office of High commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) asking it to play a responsible role amidst COVID-19 crisis. 

The joint letter was written by permanent missions of India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam in Geneva to OHCHR after it issued a release on June 3 entitled, "Asia: Bachelet alarmed by clampdown on freedom of expression during COVID-19".

The joint press release said, "The primary focus of our governments in these unprecedented times is to ensure that precious lives, particularly of the most vulnerable, are not lost to COVID-19. The OHCHR needs to recognize this and play a responsible role in a manner that adds to rather than detracts from such efforts"

Recalling at the consensus resolution of the World Health Assembly meeting of the World Health Organisation last month stating member states should provide "the population with reliable and comprehensive information...take measures to counter information and disinformation".

The respective governments had taken necessary measures, in accordance with prevailing laws and regulations, to hold those who spread misinformation and misled the public, accountable for their irresponsible actions and this has been carried out with the due process of law while aslo safeguarding the freedom of expression, the statement explained. 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet had criticized 12 countries in Asia over suppression of freedom of expression in the garb of dealing with misinformation amidst COVID crisis and suggested them to take “least intrusive approach required to achieve that result". 

This is not the first time UN human rights office (OHCHR) has made remarks about countries in the region that has drawn ire.