More than 300 human rights groups from more than 60 countries around the world signed an open letter on Wednesday (September 9, 2020) urging the United Nations to urgently establish an independent mechanism to address the Chinese government’s human rights violations.
Domestically, the letter notes that Beijing’s authorities have committed serious human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, while globally, Chinese authorities have cracked down on human rights defenders, imposed global surveillance, and promoted economic development projects that have no human rights and harm the environment.
The advocacy group, which includes Human Rights Watch, has called on the United Nations to stop allowing the Human Rights Council to continue to allow China’s human rights abuses to go unchecked and urged the UN to immediately convene a special session to establish an independent investigation mechanism to hold China accountable.
In June, dozens of UN special rapporteurs and independent human rights experts issued a rare joint statement condemning the Chinese government’s repression of fundamental freedoms and expressing grave concern about the excessive use of police force to suppress protests in Hong Kong, the oppression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, the detention of human rights lawyers, and the disappearance of human rights defenders across the region. The experts also called on the UN Human Rights Council to take urgent action to monitor China’s human rights practices, including by holding special sessions and appointing special envoys.
Last Friday (September 4), seven UN experts, including Fionnuala Ni Aolain, the UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and the protection of human rights, issued a joint letter arguing that China’s imposition of the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law is inconsistent with international law and seriously undermines the independence of judges and lawyers, as well as freedom of expression and other fundamental rights in Hong Kong.
Beijing has consistently rejected international criticism of China’s human rights record and warned UN experts not to interfere in China’s internal affairs.
The Chinese government also announced on August 10 sanctions against those responsible for groups such as Human Rights Watch that criticized Beijing’s tightening of governance in Hong Kong.
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