Amnesty warns stalled US presidential transition worsens COVID-19 ‘human rights crisis’ News
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Amnesty warns stalled US presidential transition worsens COVID-19 ‘human rights crisis’

Amnesty International on Wednesday issued a warning about US President Donald Trump’s refusal to cooperate with US President-elect Joe Biden and its dire impact on what it called the “human rights crisis” presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The human rights organization condemned Trump’s refusal to cooperate, concluding that the lack of cooperation and its resulting stagnation of the political transition process is worsening the COVID-19 situation, particularly for people of color, low-income communities and other marginalized communities.

Respect for human rights must not be a casualty of the current political situation. We call on President Trump … to fulfill [his] human rights obligations under International law and cooperate with President-Elect Biden to protect the rights to health and to life, with special attention on the impact on those of us who have long faced discrimination, marginalization and exclusion.

It also condemned the Trump administration for allegedly disseminating false information about the pandemic, stating: “[t]he current administration must reverse course and refrain from disseminating false information minimizing the risks posed by the pandemic and undermining the importance of testing.”

This is an unprecedented move from Amnesty International, but it is uncertain whether it will persuade the Trump administration to reverse course and cooperate with President-elect Biden.