1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting Human Rights During Pandemic Act . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) The United States led the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines the commitment of countries around the world to the protection and promotion of universal human rights and values that are indispensable for human dignity, including the rights to life, liberty, security of person, freedom of movement, religion, speech, peaceful assembly, association, freedom of expression and the press, and freedom from arbitrary detention, discrimination, or invasion of privacy. (2) Authorities in more than 83 countries, including the United States, have declared states of emergency and restricted the movement of people due to the threat of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID–19, and which the World Health Organization designated a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. (3) During public health emergencies, it may be necessary and appropriate for governments to take extraordinary action to halt the spread of disease through steps such as restricting the movement of people, closing businesses, and limiting access to public spaces. (4) States are legally obligated to continue to protect the human rights of their citizens at all times, subject to the principles of limitation and derogation, even and especially during national emergencies. (5) In many countries with COVID–19 cases, governments have taken steps that violate the human rights of their citizens without clear scientific or public health justifications, or any end date or functional oversight. (6) In some countries, including China and Russia, governments are using existing and emerging surveillance technologies, including artificial intelligence and facial recognition software, without appropriate safeguards, which violates the human rights of their citizens, such as the rights to privacy and freedom of movement, while claiming such actions are necessary to combat the novel coronavirus. (7) In