39 Countries at UN Express 'Grave Concerns' About China's Abuses

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https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/10/06/39-countries-un-express-grave-concerns-about-chinas-abuses

October 6, 2020 3:18PM EDT

39 Countries at UN Express ‘Grave Concerns’ About China’s Abuses

Call for International Monitoring of Human Rights Situation

Louis Charbonneau
United Nations Director

A cross-regional group of 39 United Nations member countries issued a stinging public rebuke today of the Chinese government’s widespread human rights violations in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Tibet, proof that a growing number of governments are voicing their alarm, despite Beijing’s threats of retaliation.

“We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the recent developments in Hong Kong,” German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said in a statement on behalf of the group to the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee. “We call on China to respect human rights.”

Supporters of the German-led statement includes Britain, Canada, the United States, many European Union member states, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haiti, Honduras, Palau, and the Marshall Islands.

The joint statement endorses an unprecedented appeal from 50 UN human rights experts for the creation of a UN mechanism for monitoring human rights in China. A recent global civil society appeal from over 400 organizations echoed the experts’ call.

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