CSW welcomes a joint statement delivered by Canada on 22 June on the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) at the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The joint statement, signed by 44 UN member states, expressed grave concern about the human rights situation in the XUAR, including “reports of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilization, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children from their parents by authorities.”
The signatories urged China to allow “immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the High Commissioner, and to urgently implement the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’s 8 recommendations related to Xinjiang, including by ending the arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities.”
The statement also included concern about the deterioration of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong and the human rights situation in Tibet, concluding, “We call on Chinese authorities to abide by their human rights obligations.”
The concerns expressed in the joint statement are consistent with research by CSW and numerous other human rights organisations, think tanks and academics. Pressure has been growing on the Chinese government to end the mass arbitrary detention and myriad human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim groups; at the same time, there is growing pressure on the UN and governments to go beyond words to actively press China to end the human rights crisis.
Over 20 NGOs including CSW also issued a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 22 June, requesting that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet “urgently strengthen remote monitoring and initiate public reporting on the human rights situation across China, focusing especially on Uyghur and Tibetan regions and Hong Kong.” The joint statement, delivered by International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), also stresses that ongoing negotiations for unfettered access to the country should not delay urgently needed action. The Chinese authorities have consistently denied meaningful access to the Uyghur Region to international human rights monitors.
CSW’s United Nations Officer Claire Denman said: “CSW welcomes increased attention to human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups, as well as the human rights situation in Tibet and deterioration of freedoms in Hong Kong, at the Human Rights Council. In addition, we remain concerned by the broader deterioration of human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, which has taken place in China under Xi Jinping. Lawyers who stand up for human rights in the country have faced disbarring, harassment and arbitrary detention, while citizen journalists who attempt to report on the realities of life in China have faced a similar and severe crackdown. The time for action is long overdue, and the UN can play a vital role in co-ordinating a global effort to bring these injustices to an end. We reiterate the recommendations made in yesterday’s NGO statement, and encourage the UN High Commissioner to strengthen mechanisms to monitor human rights violations across China.”
