China rights record in spotlight at UN

GENEVA, Switzerland — A civil liberties crackdown, repression in Xinjiang and Hong Kong's draconian national security law are among concerns expected to be raised during a UN review of China's rights record on Tuesday.

Beijing is likely to face intense scrutiny, especially from Western countries, during its regular Universal Periodic Review (UPR) -- a rights record examination that all 193 UN member states must undergo every four to five years.

"It is very important to hold China to account," a Western diplomat said.

The array of issues likely to be raised is vast, from alleged efforts to erase cultural identity in Tibet to the sweeping national security law imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 to quash dissent after pro-democracy protests.

Much focus is expected to remain on the situation in the northwestern Xinjiang region, where China is accused of incarcerating over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

Beijing vehemently rejects the charges, which were already put forward during its last UPR in 2018.

Since then, more UN documentation has been provided, including a report released by UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet just minutes before her term ended in 2022.

That report, flatly rejected by China, highlighted "credible" allegations of widespread torture and arbitrary detention, citing possible "crimes against humanity".

But amid intense Chinese pressure, UN Human Rights Council members narrowly voted in October 2022 against even debating the report's contents.

"We haven't seen a really substantive discussion about the report," said Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International's deputy director for China.

She and other rights advocates voiced hope the UPR could provide a chance for countries to back the findings and demand action from Beijing.

Sophie Richardson, the former China director at Human Rights Watch, said Beijing should face pointed questions on the "substantiated concerns about crimes against humanity".

Questions are also expected to be raised on Beijing's crackdown on civil society, which is sometimes felt as far away as Geneva.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of activist Cao Shunli, who was detained as she attempted to travel to Geneva