Arid reacts to social media postings |04 January 2021

The Association for Rights, Information and Democracy (Arid) has issued the following press statement based on latest information disseminated on the social media platform violating patients’ confidentiality and in a second case curtailing freedom of expression.

Freedom of expression: Article 10 of the Human Rights Act, relates to Freedom of expression. Promoting freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart and share information and ideas without interference by public authority or law enforcement agencies. In a recent case, a woman was detained by the police after posting a letter of appointment of three military officers on the social media. It is the civic duty of anyone to promote freedom of expression as a core value in the democratic process. It allows citizens to engage in discussions and exchange ideas in a respectful and responsible way on matters of concern. The arrest and detention of a citizen for posting on the social media on a matter of concern goes against the principle of freedom of expression and a violation of human rights. Arid strongly condemns any act by the authority to infringe on the right of someone to express his or her opinion, idea or to share information without censorship or reprisal

Patient’s confidentiality: Confidentiality of patients must be respected even during the time of a pandemic. Regrettably, we have seen posting of confidential details of patients who have contracted Covid-19 on the social media including pictures and identity of persons who have tested positive for the virus. As much as we are all concerned about the transmission of Covid-19 in the community, we still have the responsibility to protect the confidentiality of patients and infected persons.

Arid is calling on everyone to respect the rights of others including persons infected with Covid-19 and to refrain from sharing personal details of persons infected with the virus.

Arid will continue to monitor the situation and advocate for the protection of human rights.

Press release from Arid