A/HRC/44/49
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
23 April 2020
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-fourth session
15 June–3 July 2020
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Disease pandemics and the freedom of opinion and
expression
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of
the right to freedom of opinion and expression
Summary
The present report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the
right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, is being submitted to the Human
Rights Council pursuant to Council resolution 34/18. In the report the Special Rapporteur
registers alarm that some efforts to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
may be failing to meet the standards of legality, necessity and proportionality. The Special
Rapporteur highlights five areas of concern, showing that access to information,
independent media and other free expression rights are critical to meeting the challenges of
pandemic.
GE.20-05950(E)