U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called on countries to “urgently” reconsider economic sanctions against adversaries to help all nations address the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic.
“Broad sectoral sanctions should urgently be re-evaluated in countries facing the coronavirus pandemic, in light of their potentially debilitating impact on the health sector and human rights,” the former Chilean president said.
The U.N.’s top human rights advocate, Bachelet urged nations to exempt countries from the sanctions imposed on them, specifically mentioning Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. She cited the impact that outbreaks in some of those countries could have on neighboring nations.
In the case of Iran, for instance, where the economy has been put under huge pressure by a wide array of U.S. sanctions, Bachelet said the measures could end up hurting Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“It is vital to avoid the collapse of any country’s medical system – given the explosive impact that will have on death, suffering and wider contagion,” she said. “In a context of global pandemic, impeding medical efforts in one country heightens the risk for all of us.”
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