February, 09 2009, 12:48pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
AIUSA media office,Email:,media@aiusa.org,Phone: 202-544-0200 x302
U.N. Misses Opportunity to Push China on Human Rights, Charges Amnesty International
Human Rights Organization Supports Important New U.N. Human Rights Mechanism, But Most Serious Human Rights Issues Not Addressed
WASHINGTON
Amnesty International today
described the United Nations Human Rights Council's examination of China
as an important new mechanism for the protection of human rights in China
but noted that many of the countries involved in the review failed to address
some of the most serious human rights issues in China.
"We didn't hear enough about the ongoing
repression of the Tibetans, the Uighurs, as well as the persecution of
various religious groups, including Christians and members of the Falun
Gong," said Roseann Rife, Asia-Pacific deputy director at Amnesty International.
Amnesty International welcomed China's engagement
with the U.N.'s Universal Period Review (U.P.R.), and the recommendations
presented by some country delegations, such as the need for China to reconsider
its use of the death penalty, develop its judicial system, end its use
of punitive administrative detention, abolish the household registration
system and create conditions for the country to be able to sign the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Amnesty International urged China to accept
the recommendations on these vital human rights issues in preparation for
the U.N. Human Rights Council's report on Wednesday, February 11.
"While it is appropriate to point out
the progress that China has made in some areas of respect for human rights,
for the United Nations' new review mechanism to be fully effective, reviewing
countries must also be willing to address the most serious human rights
issues," said Rife.
"China's engagement with the U.N. mechanism
is positive," said Rife. "The real test on the effectiveness of the new
review process will be whether China implements changes that have a real
impact on the protection of human rights for people across the country."
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning
grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters,
activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human
rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates
and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice,
freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people - no matter who they are or where they are. We are the world's largest grassroots human rights organization.
(212) 807-8400LATEST NEWS
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"In Gaza, the scale of the tragedy is incomprehensible," wrote Thibaut Bruttin, director general of Reporters Without Borders.
Dec 12, 2024
Reports released this week from two organizations that advocate for journalists underscore just how deadly Gaza has become for media workers.
Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) 2024 roundup, which was published Thursday, found that at least 54 journalists were killed on the job or in connection with their work this year, and 18 of them were killed by Israeli armed forces (16 in Palestine, and two in Lebanon).
The organization has also filed four complaints with the International Criminal Court "for war crimes committed by the Israeli army against journalists," according to the roundup, which includes stats from January 1 through December 1.
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