'China failed to protect human rights of minorities'

Human rights activists, academicians and politicians have raised serious concerns over Beijing's failure to protect human rights of indigenous and minority communities in the country, especially Xinjiang and Tibet.

Department of Information and International and Relations (DIIR) and the office of Tibet Geneva have jointly organized a Forum under the title "Making China Accountable under UN Human Rights Mechanism" at the Centre International de Conferences, Geneva on Friday.

It aims to expose China's failure to implement the recommendations by the United Nations Human Rights Council in its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2013.

Sonam N Dagpo, Organiser, Central Tibetan Administration, Geneva said, "This forum was very successful as we were able to invite human rights activists, academicians, politicians. Also, we have lots of diplomats and people from Southern Mongolia and also from Hong Kong and Taiwan, where people suffer human rights situation under the People's Republic of China."

He added, "We definitely believe that the UPR cycle in 2013, China agreed to many of the recommendations. Unfortunately, they have not been implemented yet. We need to put more pressure on China to follow all the recommendations by the United Nations."

Sonam continued, "China is following a new colonial policy and they are expanding and building roads. So, these are some policies which the Chinese are doing to not only to deny human rights but also to destroy the environment of the areas where they occupy it."

The event is being held on the eve of the UPR of China by the UNHRC, scheduled to take place in Geneva on November 6.

Dr Shao Jiang, a scholar from the United Kingdom said, "The Chinese Communist party regime violates the human rights such as freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and assimilates the Tibetan, Uyghur and other minorities. Now, the biggest challenge is the prisoners who are being tortured in custody."

Sharon Hom, Director of New York-based Human Rights in China said, "The human rights have deteriorated seriously since Xi Jinping took power and it started worsening with the 2015 crackdown on the rights defence lawyers. Over 300 were detained, harassed and prosecuted. Their families were also prosecuted. The cultural and religious repression of Tibetan people and of ethnic Uyghurs has always been a problem but it has really intensified with millions of Uyghurs in detention facilities, no matter what the Chinese call these facilities."

She added, "China has been expanding powerfully by leveraging its political and economic influence and has been expanding its influence through its go-out strategy of soft power. This includes its engagement with academics, think-tanks, buying foreign media and through its trade policies obviously its infrastructure projects like One Belt One Road initiative."

Dolkun Isa, Vice President of World Uyghur Congress said, "China's government has been trying to monopolise all international system, particularly the UN human rights system. That's why the Chinese government from time to time has used its economic power. We demand the UN to provide a platform to the civil societies and respects of the basic principles of the UN.