Rights groups urge High Commissioner to address China’s deepening repression

Twenty-six civil society organisations, including the ISHR, urged today UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to address the Chinese government’s alleged crimes against humanity.  

The groups called on Türk to use his 27 February global update at the 61st session of the Human Rights Council to outline his Office’s investigative efforts on the situation in China.

They also urged the High Commissioner to explicitly demand that Beijing end and redress its ongoing, systematic human rights violations. The Council’s session runs from 23 February to 31 March. 

Inaction on atrocity crimes 

Multiple UN bodies, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), have documented the scale of China’s human rights violations, some reaching the conclusion that they may constitute international crimes, including crimes against humanity.

However, since the OHCHR’s landmark 2022 report on the Uyghur region (Xinjiang), Türk has shared little public information on progress regarding accountability or specific steps taken by the government. 

Meanwhile, Beijing’s repression remains ongoing. Since the conclusion of the previous Council session, Chinese authorities have continued to arbitrarily detain religious leaders and journalists. 

They have also prosecuted defenders for free expression and subjected activists to forced disappearances, often denying them adequate medical care. Authorities continue to weaponise the vague charge of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ to silence critics, despite Türk’s prior calls to repeal the provision. 

Repression deepens despite UN interventions 

The groups welcomed recent OHCHR interventions, such as the 9 February condemnation of the 20-year sentence imposed on Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai. They also appreciated Türk’s 19 January statement raising concerns over China’s secretive use of the death penalty, and his 9 December 2025 call for Hong Kong to refrain from using draconian security laws following the Tai Po fire. 

At the same time, transnational repression and collective punishment continue to escalate. On 11 February 2026, a Hong Kong court convicted the father of exiled pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok under Article 23 of  the Basic Law, reaching a new threshold in persecuting activists abroad by targeting their family members. 

Matching words with action 

The groups emphasised that investigating Beijing’s actions would align with Türk’s own recent advocacy. On 30 January 2026, the High Commissioner urged States to ‘be ambitious’ in adopting a new treaty on crimes against humanity and described the debates as ‘a once in a generation opportunity to advance prevention and accountability for crimes against humanity’.