Nearly 50 UN independent experts and 30 UN Special Procedure Mandate Holders have called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to “act with a sense of urgency to take all appropriate measures to monitor Chinese human rights practices.” As per a report on Tibet.net, last week the UN experts called for decisive measures to protect the fundamental freedoms in occupied regions of China in their latest UN news release.
The UN experts have denounced the repression of protest and democracy advocacy in Hong Kong. The news release also raises grave concerns on the collective repression of the population, especially religious and ethnic minorities, in Tibet and Xinjiang.
They further highlight the suppression of Corona virus whistle-blowers like Dr Li Wenliang who were shamed and targeted in China. The experts expressed concerns that “journalists, medical workers and those exercising their right to free speech online in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak and pandemic have allegedly faced retaliation from the authorities, including many being charged with ‘spreading misinformation’ or ‘disrupting public order’”.
The UN independent experts have called for “renewed attention on the human rights situation in the country, particularly in light of the moves against the people of the Hong Kong, minorities of the Xinjiang, illegally occupied Tibet and human rights defenders across the country.”
In conclusion, the UN experts call on the “international community to act collectively and decisively to ensure China respects human rights and abides by its international obligations.”
Non-coperation of China
It can be recalled that China has repeatedly refused to allow access to UN independent experts for official visits to ascertain the Human Rights in the regions under its occupation. It had also not agreed independent investigatiors from US and Australia to investigate into the origins of Corona virus in Wuhan. In the last 10 years, only five experts were permitted to visit China and not a single one to Tibet.
Given this high-handed attitude of China, the UN experts urged the Chinese government to invite the UN independent experts to visit, monitor, and report on the ground realities. The experts have also called for the protection of the human rights defenders and civilians who meet the mandate-holders during such visits.
