Diversity should be respected and encouraged at any level, because it is a driver of enrichment for any community or society. But China does not (want to) understand this and instead harasses and harms those who think, speak or worship differently while, as a Human Rights Council member, it should be held to the highest human rights standards.
The Chinese government, by rejecting recommendations for access to Xinjiang and for the release of those extra-legally detained, once again shows itself unwilling to face scrutiny at the Council.
‘The Universal Periodic Review is meant to be able to highlight human rights challenges in a country – not enable a government to sweep violations under the rug’, said Sarah M Brooks, Asia advocate at ISHR.
Media reports, victim testimony and a growing body of UN documents have highlighted the grave nature of violations against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in China. Upwards of a million individuals have been extra-legally detained in re-education camps, while the remaining population faces intense discrimination, harassment, surveillance and intrusive social engineering campaigns in an attempt to sincicise their religion and culture.
‘China’s rejection of more than a dozen specific recommendations to address the serious violations occurring in Xinjiang is yet another reason for the Council to take action,’ says Brooks.
‘States must act collectively to call for access for independent experts to the region, and increased monitoring and reporting by the Office of the High Commissioner.’
The Universal Periodic Review of China, held in November 2018, occurs once every five years and was an opportunity to encourage progress on all human rights. Its peers made fifteen recommendations to China specifically raising concerns of access to Xinjiang and calling for the release of those detained in the camps.
During the review, China accused mostly these western countries who raised concerns of violations in Xinjiang of showing ‘total disregard of the facts’, infringing on China’s national sovereignty, and having double standards.
As Reuters reported at the time, the delegation from China argued that the growth of these internment camps (which, since August 2018, they have referred to as vocational training centres) was ‘a preventive measure to combat terrorism’. In fact, people are detained there only for one reason: their culture is different from that promoted by the government.
For more information, please contact Sarah M Brooks at [email protected] or @sarahmcneer on Twitter.
Photo: Ccyber5 from Wikimedia Commons
The beginning of a new year coincides with the appointment of a new President for the Human Rights Council. On 11 February, ISHR hosted a civil society reception to welcome the 2025 President, Swiss ambassador Jürg Lauber, providing an opportunity for civil society, human rights experts, supporters and diplomats to meet and discuss challenges and opportunities in the year ahead.
The 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (24 February to 4 April 2025) will discuss the protection of human rights defenders, freedom of religion, human rights while countering terrorism, and rights to food and housing. It will also address grave human rights issues in countries like Nicaragua, Venezuela, China, Syria, South Sudan, Iran, North Korea, Myanmar, Eritrea, and the occupied Palestinian territory/Israel, amongst others. Here’s an overview of some of the key issues on the agenda.
The UN Human Rights Council is crucial for rights holders, victims, and human rights defenders, offering a platform to pressure for national change, expose violations, seek accountability, and gain support for their work towards a fair, equal, and sustainable world.
