This story is from Democracy Digest:

An independent democracy advocacy organization is warning that authoritarian regimes are using the global coronavirus outbreak to suppress freedoms of speech and restrict fundamental rights outside of the scope of public health needs, The Washington Times reports:

The nonpartisan Washington-based Freedom House said in a statement Thursday that they have observed “concerning signs” of efforts to increase surveillance and downplay failing responses to contain the spread of COVID-19 that could worsen the spread of the virus.

“Even democracies are at risk of disregarding their core principles as they struggle to combat the outbreak, which could have lasting consequences after the crisis is over,” said Michael Abramowitz, the organization’s president.

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