Prof. Ní Aoláin Quoted in Al Jazeera Regarding COVID-19 Civil Liberty Limitations Post-Crisis

Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, was quoted in Al Jazeera regarding the potential danger of EU states extending COVID-19 civil liberty restrictions beyond the end of the public health crisis. “The danger is that states, particularly non-democratic or less open societies, would use the opportunity given by the health emergency to crack down on particular minority groups, or individuals or groups that they see as highly problematic,” said Ní Aoláin. “States might find, as we often see in the counterterrorism space, that extensive powers are very comfortable, and they give them a lot more leeway than they usually have. The key point is that leeway shouldn't be used indefinitely.”