GENEVA (11 December 2020) – UN human rights experts expressed alarm at the decision by Cambodian authorities to allow the publication of personal information about individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19, saying such actions were a deplorable breach of privacy.
On 4 December, the Ministry of Health decided to disclose the identity and personal information of individuals infected with COVID-19 in the media, a decision endorsed by the Prime Minister. Since then, the Ministry of Health published lists of those testing positive for the virus on its social media site. The published details include names, age, sex, work place and home address. The personal information has been widely disseminated by the mainstream media and on social media.
The UN experts also expressed concerns about the spread of the pandemic in the country’s jails, and called on the government to urgently follow through on its pledge to test inmates. “In order to prevent any potential outbreak, we urge the government to take all necessary preventive measures and prioritise mandatory testing for all detainees and prisoners,” they said.
See the full news release here