50th session of the UN Human Rights Council (June 13)

On the occasion of the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva – which is scheduled for June 13 – the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls for the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on China, emphasizing that the Federal Republic of Germany should advocate for this together with allied states. Also, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, should finally release her report on the human rights situation in Xinjiang / East Turkestan. 

"The EU Parliament issued a groundbreaking resolution on Thursday, stating that the Chinese government is responsible for crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. According to the resolution, there are serious indications that these crimes have to be seen as genocide crimes," stated Hanno Schedler, STP expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. "Five years ago, the Chinese government started to lock up hundreds of thousands of people in internment camps and prisons. Until today, it lies about what it is doing to the Uyghur and Kazakh people every day: In Xinjiang, torture, relentless political indoctrination, long prison sentences, and forced sterilization of women are still commonplace." 

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of China (CPC) also continues its war on the language and the culture of the people of Tibet. By destroying Buddha statues and sending hundreds of thousands of Tibetan children into state-run boarding schools, the CPC is trying to force the people there to toe the party line. "Even 27 years after the Chinese government ordered the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, to be abducted, his whereabouts are still unknown. He was kidnapped as a six-year-old – and the CPC then installed its own Panchen Lama. The fate of the abduction victim should be addressed during the 50th session of the Human Rights Council," Schedler added. The Panchen Lama is one of the most important religious leaders in Tibetan Buddhism. The Chinese government does not only have an eye on religious personalities, but also on Tibetan writers. Four days ago, it became known that the Tibetan writer Rongwo Gangkar, who had disappeared more than a year ago, is in Chinese custody. According to Radio Free Asia, the 48-year-old was probably arrested in early 2021. "Tibetan writers are important for keeping the Tibetan culture and language alive. The CPC is trying to 'reeducate' them as well. As the Chinese government has stepped up its measures to oppress unwelcome nationalities, the democratic states must find an unequivocal response: A Special Rapporteur for China would be an important signal to those who are fighting for human rights in China and who have so far felt left alone by Michelle Bachelet," Schedler explained.

Hanno Schedler is available for further questions: h.schedler@gfbv.de