![\\"logo\\"](\\"/img/logo-dpa-factchecking.svg\\"/) *About ![\\"IFCN](\\"/img/ifcn-certificate.png\\"/) ![\\"EFCSN](\\"/img/efcsn- certificate.png\\"/) ## Pure invention # WHO unable to arrest and prosecute citizens Published on 17.6.2024, 14:15 (CEST) WHO reportedly intends to arrest and prosecute possible detractors of vaccination against avian flu. And the media doesn\'t care would not speak... Rightly so, since it is false. The 194 member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) would have decided to arrest citizens who publicly oppose to the avian flu vaccine. New amendments adopted at the beginning of June would give them the right to do so. In any case, this is what some people say. viral publications on X (here) and Facebook (here and here). Appearing online at the beginning of June 2024, this message is shared in several languages by Internet users who are outraged by a so-called “media blackout”. But what exactly is it? ## Assessment These allegations are false. WHO member countries have adopted a series amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) in early June. But none of them call for arresting opponents of the vaccine against avian flu. Furthermore, the WHO does not have the power to impose laws in its member countries. ## Facts The assertion circulating on social networks finds its source in a article from The People\'s Voice website, published on June 6. Customary false information, this site has already been the subject of numerous verifications by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa), such as here, here or again here. According to the article in question - which can also be found translated into French on a blog known as unreliable \- the WHO has decided to tighten the screw against those who express their opposition to vaccination against avian flu. This decision would emerge from a series amendments approved in early June. But that's not true. Revision of the International Health Regulations During the 77th World Health Assembly, which took place from 27 May to June 1 in Geneva (Switzerland), the 194 member countries of the WHO met are working to revise the International Health Regulations (IHR). Adopted in 1951, this legal instrument aims to prevent the spread international diseases, to protect ourselves from them and to respond to them in a manner coordinate. The Covid-19 pandemic, however, has revealed certain shortcomings and pushed WHO member countries to revise it. Several amendments were therefore adopted at the beginning of June 2024. Among these, none, however, mentions avian flu, nor calls for stopping those and those who would speak out against vaccination. “These statements are false,” the WHO denied in an email to the dpa. If certain provisions of the RSI (on pages 46 and 47 of the latest version available) clearly discuss the fight against disinformation, the WHO does not plan however no repressive measures. She doesn't have the power. Contacted by the dpa, the professor of international health law at Georgetown University, Lawrence Gostin, confirms that the WHO is not able to impose laws on member countries, not even through new amendments to the RSI. “Member countries decide on their own health care policies and legislation. The RSI does not restrict nor anyone’s freedom of expression,” he emphasizes. This is also explained (here) on the WHO website. The agency The UN is not empowered to impose health measures such as lockdowns or other restrictions on the populations of a country. Avian flu: a low risk for the general population On the rise in the United States, the H5N1 virus, responsible for the flu avian, worries scientists. Over the past few weeks, the number of infections in dairy cattle has continued to increase. Since the start of the year, 11 cases of human contamination by the H5N1 virus were counted: five in Cambodia, three in the United States and one in Australia, in China and Vietnam, according to a WHO press release dated June 12. However, there is no sign that the virus has acquired the ability to spread easily between humans has not been noted. To date, the danger for the general population remains low, even though scientists recommend reinforced surveillance. In the event of a pandemic, the European Commission has already taken the lead. The executive announced on June 11 that it had concluded a contract allowing it to purchase up to 665,000 doses of a vaccine preventing the transmission of bird flu to humans. (Situation as of 06/17/2024) ## Links Facebook posts I, II (archived versions I, II) Publication X (archived version) Article from People\'s Voice (archived version) Réseauinternational.net article (archived version) About International Network - Conspiracy Watch (archived version) International Health Regulations (IHR) (archived version) Amendments to the IHR (archived version) About Professor Lawrence Gostin (archived version) About the scope of the IHR on national laws (archived version) About avian flu in the United States - WHO press release (version archived) About the risk of epidemic - France Info (archived version) About the contract concluded by the European Commission (archived version) ### About dpa fact checks This fact check was written as part of the independent program of Facebook/Meta check. More information about this program can be found here. To learn more about how Facebook/Meta manages accounts that spread misinformation, click here. 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194 WHO Countries Agree to Arrest Citizens Who Oppose Bird Flu Vaccine Media Blackout