Fact Check: WHO did not issue orders to Biden for arresting Americans expressing ‘non-mainstream opinions’ – Great

The World Health Organization (WHO) did not order U.S. President Joe Biden to arrest citizens who share “non-mainstream content” online.

A post on Instagram includes a screenshot of an online article by the website The People’s Voice with the headline “WHO Orders Biden To Arrest Americans Who Share Non-Mainstream Content Online.”

The article, which was published on Sept. 18, says, “The WHO is currently finalizing its ‘Global Pandemic Treaty’ which will grant the UN, WHO and WEF the ability to govern nations and impose tyrannical censorship policies that directly violate the First Amendment.”

It refers to a WHO accord that is being drafted by an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body(INB) established by the WHO.

Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for WHO, called the article’s claim “incorrect.”

The accord, for now called “WHO CA+” or “WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response,” has not been finalized yet. Its processes and updates can be seen online.

The article does not provide evidence for where or how the WHO is “ordering” Biden to arrest those who share “non-mainstream content online.” It says the WHO’s treaty will push for an “all-society approach to ‘misinformation.’”

The draft document has a section on cooperation and public health literacy to tackle false or misleading content related to pandemics (pages 23-24), but does not mention arrests.

In response to the question, “How much authority could an accord have over signatory countries? Will it be legally binding? Will it take sovereignty away from signatory countries?” the WHO says online: “As with all international instruments, any new accord, if and when agreed by Member States, would be determined by governments themselves, who would take any action while considering their own national laws and regulations.

Member States will decide the terms of the accord, including whether any of its provisions will be legally binding on Member States as a matter of international law.’”

Reuters has previously fact-checked articles published by The People’s Voice about COVID-19 and the U.N. that it determined were false.

The People’s Voice did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

VERDICT

False. The World Health Organization (WHO) did not order U.S. President Joe Biden to arrest U.S. citizens who share non-mainstream opinions online.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.  Read more about our fact-checking work.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.