Human rights in China have deteriorated significantly this year, as the Chinese government has intensified its repression and violations of civil, political, social and cultural rights across the country.
The Chinese government has continued its mass detention, torture and forced labor of an estimated 1 million Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang region, in what the former UN high commissioner for human rights has concluded might constitute crimes against humanity.
It has also continued its assault on the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers, by arresting and prosecuting pro-democracy activists, journalists and lawmakers, and by imposing draconian laws and measures that undermine the rule of law and the territory’s autonomy.
Beijing has tightened its control over information and communication in China by censoring and blocking any content that criticizes or challenges its policies and actions, and by harassing and detaining online activists, bloggers and whistle-blowers.
The Chinese government has increased its repression and violations of the civil, political, social and cultural rights of Tibetans. A report by the UN Human Rights Office said that about 1 million Tibetan children were separated from their families and forced to attend residential schools that aimed to assimilate them into the dominant Han culture, language and ideology.
The report also said that the Chinese government interfered with the religious and cultural practices of the Tibetans and restricted their freedom of expression, association, and movement. Other sources have also documented continued human rights abuses in Tibet, such as the destruction of religious and cultural sites, torture and detentions, and coerced abortions or forced sterilizations.
The Chinese government has faced growing international condemnation and pressure for its human rights violations in Tibet, but has denied any wrongdoing and claimed it has made new achievements in Tibet’s human rights cause.
It has faced growing international condemnation and pressure for its human rights abuses, as several countries boycotted last year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, imposed sanctions and trade restrictions and supported UN human rights mechanisms to monitor and investigate the situation in China.
These are just some of the main human rights issues and trends in China over the past year.
Khedroob Thondup is a former member of the Tibetan parliament in exile.
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