Read on to remain up to date with the latest international human rights news, views and developments!
A newly-released confidential letter by a UN Special Rapporteur documents the disbarment of human rights lawyers in China and the tightening ideological control over lawyers and law firms. The UN expert denounces disappearances, closed-door trials, harassment of relatives, travel bans, and other abuses targeting human rights lawyers.
On Tuesday 16 April 2024, ISHR delivered to both Geneva’s Administrative Council and its legislative counterpart, the Municipal Council, physical copies of the more than 1000 signatures collected in support of a memorial honouring Chinese human rights defender Cao Shunli.
13 April 2024 marked one year since the Chinese authorities arbitrarily detained prominent human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife, woman defender Xu Yan. As their health steadily deteriorates, 30 rights groups and the European Union have renewed their call for their prompt release.
Despite protests from China and its allies, human rights organisations paid a public tribute to the late activist Cao Shunli during a debate at the UN Human Rights Council, ten years after her death. A victim of ‘deadly reprisals’ against her activism, Cao died in March 2014 after months of arbitrary detention in China.
Ten years after her death in custody on 14 March 2014, civil society, UN staff, and diplomats paid tribute to Chinese woman human rights defender, Cao Shunli, in a solemn reception outside the UN headquarters. Rights groups unveiled a commemorative bust of Cao, calling on Geneva’s local authorities to make it a permanent public homage to her memory and that of all human rights defenders targeted for cooperating with the UN.
31 human rights organisations released a joint statement on the 10-year anniversary of ‘deadly reprisals’ against Chinese activist Cao Shunli.
At a public UN review of its record, China sought to downplay mountains of UN-vetted evidence of its generalised quashing of human rights within its borders, including atrocity crimes against Uyghurs.
On 30 August 2022, the UN Human Rights Office concluded that the Chinese State may be responsible for committing crimes against humanity, in a report on human rights in the Uyghur region (Xinjiang). One year later, global pressure on Beijing remains high, ahead of a major UN human rights review in January.
Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei has been nominated for the South Korean Gwangju Prize for Human Rights for his steadfast defence of activists targeted by the Chinese authorities. Arrested in July this year while transiting through Laos, he was returned back to China in late September, in a blunt violation of basic principles of international law.
The UN General Assembly voted in 15 new members of the Human Rights Council today. Though they elected China and Burundi in closed, uncompetitive races, States voted against Russia’s return despite Moscow’s sustained pressure.
ISHR and Freedom House hosted a group of young defenders from the diaspora for a training on UN human rights mechanisms and joint advocacy meetings in Geneva during the week of 10 September.
ISHR delivered a statement at the 54th session of the HRC, urging UN member States not to vote for Burundi, China and Russia as they are not fit to sit at the Human Rights Council.
