Hundreds of thousands of deaths and trillions of dollars in economic damages could have been prevented had countries like China and Iran not engaged in illegal cover-ups and obfuscations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a new MLI joint publication with the Canadian Security Research Group, titled, “Not Immune – Exploring liability of authoritarian regimes for the COVID-19 pandemic and its cover-up,” Sarah Teich examines the full extent to which authoritarian regimes like China and Iran are legally liable for the COVID-19 disaster, and what can be done to hold them accountable.
According to Teich, “the Chinese and Iranian regimes likely breached their international legal obligations in a number of key international agreements,” as a result of their cover-up activities, including “the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations (IHR),” and more. This infographic explains some of the violations perpetrated by Iran and China, and how countries like Canada can hold these regimes to account.
