In the entire history of many modern (and democratic) countries, personal freedom has never been as limited as it has been during the coronavirus pandemic. In more authoritarian countries, basic human rights are coming under pressure. Although most people agree that restrictions were necessary to combat the pandemic, questions have been raised about the scale and the duration of these measures. The pandemic presents a significant threat to media freedom, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, public participation and privacy. In addition to being exploited for an immediate power grab, in some cases, fear of the pandemic may have a long-lasting impact on fundamental freedoms as countries and governments, both authoritarian and democratic, become stronger and concentrate their power.

Because of the sanitary crisis, some speakers will address the conference through videos: Dunja Mijatovic, Megha Rajagopalan