Some states are all too happy to crack down on journalists in the name of coronavirus containment

Without monitors on the ground – whether reporters, NGO workers or human rights researchers – many fear many abuses of power could go unnoticed, writes Bel Trew

Security forces respond to the coronavirus outbreak in Beirut, Lebanon (Anadolu Agency/Getty)

The Lebanese security forces have started roving Beirut with loudspeakers, telling people to stay inside or risk hefty penalties. The military circle the skies in helicopters with a similar message that filters, godlike, from the clouds.

Under “normal” circumstances, during other military-imposed curfews, journalists would probably risk breaking the restrictions to report. For the first time, everyone is thinking twice.

There are few instances where journalists or those with monitoring roles like human rights researchers are told not to go into the field and cover the story.