The Impact of the Sanctions on Violations of Governments' Human Rights Obligations in the Age of Global Epidemics

Human rights are one of the most fundamental rights that every individual enjoys inherently and simply as a human being. In contrast, sanctions, as levers of pressure on governments, mainly for various political purposes, directly and indirectly, have many adverse effects on the rights of the citizens of the sanctioned states and overshadow the different dimensions of human rights. Doubts that have always existed about the legality of sanctions are growing in the face of an epidemic, which requires effective treatment in all countries. Therefore, the main question of this research is that in terms of international documents in the field of human rights and health rights, can the sanctions during the global epidemic be considered legitimate? The present study aims to explain the legitimacy of sanctions for violating these obligations of governments by descriptive-analytical method while examining the human rights obligations of governments in the face of epidemics. The results of this study show that if the sanctions violate governments' commitment to international cooperation, respect for human rights, and international health law, they have no legitimacy, and the Security Council or sanctions-imposing governments will be held accountable for violating their obligations.