China can be held legally accountable for Corona 'cover-ups'

Washington, March 21
After US President Donald Trump calling COVID-19 a "Chinese virus" and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blaming China, Russia and Iran for spreading disinformation about new coronavirus, questions are now being raised over whether Beijing can be held legally accountable for covering up initial outbreak and clamping down on real information from being shared.

During a White House briefing on Friday Pompeo said the false information is coming from "places like China and Russia and Iran, where there are coordinated efforts to disparage what America is doing and our activity to do all the things President Trump has set in motion here".

Trump earlier said that it's unfortunate that the new coronavirus got out of control.

"It came from China, it got out of control. Some people are upset. I know President Xi. He loves China. He respects the United States and I have to say I respect China greatly and I respect President XI," he said.

According to a report in Fox News, the communist superpower can be held legally accountable.

"An argument could be made that just like support for terrorism, which is legally actionable, a government that engages in such reckless disregard and negligence and covers up an epidemic which has the potential to spread worldwide could be held legally liable," Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an Israel-based attorney with an specialization in suing terrorist regimes and state sponsors who orchestrate human rights abuses on behalf of victims was quoted as saying in the report.