New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is being sued by two citizens who claim she is violating their rights with coronavirus lockdowns and that she is reacting to “panic-demic, not a pandemic”.

The applicants made multiple claims at the High Court in Auckland on Friday, including that Arden’s strict policies were “all for her political gain”.

They also asked for a writ of habeas corpus, which seeks to rule an imprisonment unlawful and release the applicants, The New Zealand Herald reported.

One of the men is currently serving a home detention sentence which allows him to leave the house between 8am and 5pm.

He told Justice Mary Peters “the whole thing’s a joke” and that Ardern had no grounds to enact the lockdown.

“I don’t want my democratic rights to live in a society taken away on a whim,” he said.

The man then compared Ardern to Hitler and the lockdown to the holocaust.

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There has been 11 coronavirus-related deaths in New Zealand and more than 1400 cases.

Early modelling predicted up to 80,000 deaths in the country if restrictions weren’t introduced.

The other man claimed more people would now die of other illnesses because hospital resources had been reallocated to combat coronavirus.

“The prime minister made the wrong decision … all for her political gain”, he said.

Suppression orders

The pair have interim name suppression orders in place after citing death threats and safety risks.

Crown lawyer Austin Powell was representing Ardern and acknowledged freedom of movement was limited but said the restrictions did not constitute detention.

Justice Peters reserved her decision but said it would be given urgency.

In the video below: Restrictions to stay in place while we defeat virus: NZ PM