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.
Sila, a German college student, and Esma, an Uyghur from Frankfurt, co-founded the Uyghur Youth Initiative to advocate for Uyghur rights. Through protests, social media, and educational campaigns, they aim to raise awareness of the Uyghurs' plight and empower both Uyghur and allied youth in Germany.
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.
Ahead of China’s 4th UPR on 23 January 2024, ISHR has prepared an explainer about China’s UPR and its significance, and provides tips for NGOs and human rights defenders to engage with it, and for journalists to report on it.
This page compiles all recommendations issued by UN human rights bodies - including the UN Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups, the UN Treaty Bodies, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - on the human rights situation in China since 2018. Recommendations are sorted by topic and community affected.
This briefing paper summarises the position of UN experts that RSDL constitutes enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and could amount to torture, and includes a repository of all UN documents referring to RSDL since August 2018.
