RSI joins Global Coalition urging UN to Address China’s Human Rights Abuses
9th September 2020
Rights and Security International joins a global coalition urging UN to address Chinas human rights abuses. More than 300 organizations joined the call for an international mechanism. See the letter below:
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We, the undersigned organizations, join together to call for an international mechanism to address the Chinese governments human rights violations, and urge you to take decisive action to achieve this goal.
On 26 June 2020, an unprecedented 50 United Nations experts called for decisive measures to protect fundamental freedoms in China. They highlighted Chinas mass human rights violations in Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang, suppression of information in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and attacks on rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and critics of the government across the country.
Our organizations are also concerned about the impact of Chinas rights violations world-wide. China has targeted human rights defenders abroad, suppressed academic freedom in countries around the world, and engaged in internet censorship and digital surveillance. We deplore Chinas promotion of rights-free development and the ensuing environmental degradation at the hands of government-backed extractive industries, as well as the racist treatment of people in China, or by Chinese state actors in other parts of the world.
We are dismayed at Chinas efforts to distort the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council by promoting cooperation over accountability, and opposing initiatives to bring scrutiny of serious rights violations and international crimes in countries around the world. It has used its seat on the UNs NGO Committee to baselessly deny accreditation to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), while accrediting government-organized NGOs (GoNGOs). It has sought to deny access to human rights defenders to UN premises, denounced speakers on NGO side events as terrorists, and threatened delegates to deter them from attending UN side events on rights violations, including abuses in Xinjiang.
When the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Special Procedures, and dozens of states urged China to comply with international human rights standards, China contended that they were improper remarks that grossly interfered with Chinas sovereignty.
A state that tries to hold itself above any kind of scrutiny presents a fundamental threat to human rights. That Chinau2014a state with extraordinary global poweru2014expects such treatment affects us all.
We therefore endorse the call by UN experts for a Special Session of the Human Rights Council to evaluate the range of violations by Chinas government, and to establish an impartial and independent UN mechanism to closely monitor, analyze, and report annually on that topic. We urge the UN Secretary-General to appoint a Special Envoy, consistent with his Call to Action on Human Rights, and we call on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to fulfil her independent mandate to monitor and publicly report on Chinas sweeping rights violations. We support the call that UN member states and UN agencies use all interactions with Chinese authorities to insist that the government comply with its international human rights obligations.
We write in the spirit of global solidarity and partnership, urging that you act swiftly to counter and remediate grave human rights violations committed by Chinese authorities. No state should be above the law.
Sincerely,
21Wilberforce
ACAT Belgium
ACAT Germany (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)
ACAT-France (action des chru00e9tiens pour l'abolition de la torture)
ACAT-Switzerland
Acceso a la Justicia
Access Now
Acciu00f3n Solidaria
Action des Chru00e9tiens pour lAbolition de la Torture au Burundi(Acat-Burundi)
ACTION FOR DEVELOPMENT
Adivasi-Koordination in Germany
African Law Foundation (AFRILAW)
AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network)
Agir ensemble pour les droits de l'Homme
Agora Society Malaysia
Alliance Canada Hong Kong
Alliance des Avocats pour les Droits de l'Homme
ALTSEAN-Burma
Amnesty International
Amsterdam stands with Hong Kong
Arab Watch Regional Coalition
ARTICLE 19
Asia Democracy Network (ADN)
Asia Pacific Permanent Peace Alliance
Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)
Asian Solidarity Council for Freedom and Democracy
Asociaciu00f3n Civil Fuerza, Uniu00f3n, Justicia, Solidaridad y Paz (FUNPAZ)
Asohorizonte
Australia Tibet Council
Australian Centre for International Justice
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
Australian Uyghur Association
Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales
Benteng Heritage Musrum
Body & Data
Building Inclusive Society Tanzania Organization (BISTO).
CADAL
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
Cambodia Center for Human Rights
Cambodian Alliance of Trade Union [CATU]
Cameroon Women's Peace Movement
Campaign for Uyghurs
Canada Tibet Committee (CTC)
Canada-Hong Kong Link
CAN-Myanmar
Central Taiwan Society
Centro de Documentaciu00f3n en Derechos Humanos “Segundo Montes Mozo SJ”” (CSMM)
Centro de Justicia y Paz – Cepaz
Centro para la Paz y los Derechos Humanos Universidad Central de Venezuela
ChangSha FuNeng
China Aid
China Change
China Constitutional Democracy Promotion Association
Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD)
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Civilis Derechos Humanos
Clean Clothes Campaign
Coalition Burkinabu00e9 des Du00e9fenseurs des Droits Humains ( CBDDH)
Coalition des Defenseurs Des Droits Humais (Benin)CDDH-Benin
Coalition for Genocide Response
Coalition Togolaise des Du00e9fenseurs des Droits Humains (CTDDH)
COC Nederland
Comitu00e9 Permanente de Derechos Humanos – ACUEM
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peacebuilding
Conectas Direitos Humanos
CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)
DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
Defensa en Accion
Du00e9fenseur des droits de l'Homme au Niger
Democracy China Media
Dialogue China
Droits Humains Sans Frontiu00e8res
East Turkistan Australian Association
ECPM
Endorois Welfare Council
Espacio Pu00fablico
EXCUBITUS Derechos Humanos en Educacion
Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND)
Fu00e9du00e9ration Euro-mu00e9diterranu00e9enne contre les disparitions forcu00e9es
Federation for a Democratic China u6c11u4e3bu4e2du56fdu9663u7dda
FIDA CAMEROON
FIDH
FOVIDA – Fomento de la Vida
Frankfurt Stands With Hong Kong
Free Tibet
Freedom House
Fridays for Future