COVID-19 can't crush human rights, UN gathering declares
(Manuel Elias/UN Photo via AP)JOHANNESBURG โ In a diminished spotlight because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading human rights defenders on Friday urged people in these fractured times to connect through politics โ and vote, too. People must push back even in this socially distanced world, speakers said. U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned of a โcrisis of governanceโ and a marginalization of voices that she said will only deepen grievances and harm all of society. โWe are witnessing an erosion of public trust in institutions and traditional politics,โ said Eamon Gilmore, the European Unionโs special representative for human rights. As the global toll closed in on 1 million deaths, the U.K.โs minister for human rights, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, reminded listeners: โItโs only over when itโs over for all of us.โ