Human rights restrictions under COVID-19 pandemic: comparison between Japan and Portugal

Abstract

The new coronavirus has spread all over the world in a short time through the movement of people. States have been forced to take measures to mitigate human to human contact which is the only effective way to combat the virus until vaccines or medicines are developed. To combat the virus, human rights have been restricted in most countries in the world. Many countries have declared a state of emergency, including Japan and Portugal. The following thesis will examine how the measures taken by Japan and Portugal and the recommendations and guidelines issued by WHO show the human rights violations, focusing in particular on those caused by the Japanese government in its COVID-19 measures.