UN members ask China to respect human rights in Tibet

DHARAMSHALA: At the ongoing 48th UN Human Rights Council session, a group of member states of the world body has called on China to respect human rights in Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said on Tuesday.

Delegates from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the US and the European Union (EU), on behalf of 26 member states, have expressed concerns and called on China to respect human rights in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, according to a CTA post.

Delivering a statement on the human rights situation that requires UN Human Rights Council’s attention, the US strongly condemned human rights abuses, including economic exploitation, systemic racism and destruction of cultural heritage by China.

The US continued to remain concerned over China’s severe restrictions on religious, linguistic and cultural traditions in Tibet. France, on behalf of the 26 member states, delivered the statement of the EU that reiterated calls on China to comply with its obligations under national and international law to respect and protect human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, especially in Tibet, Xinjiang and in Mongolia.

Denmark expressed their “deeply concerned” about reports of human rights violations in Tibet. The delegate reiterated the call on China for granting meaningful access for the High Commissioner and other independent observers. Echoing the similar concerns, the German delegate said it is “gravely concerned” about the systematic human rights violations in Tibet.

The Netherlands noted serious concerns about the violations of human rights by China, including restrictions on press freedom and freedom of religion or belief in Tibet. Switzerland condemned China’s continued arbitrary detention of minorities and called on China to respect the rights of Tibetan people.

Similarly, the delegate of Sweden expressed concerns over human rights violations by China targeting persons belonging to minorities, human rights defenders and media workers, including in Tibet. The delegates from the UK, Finland and Norway have also expressed concerns over systematic violations of human rights by China.