China: Human Rights Snapshot 2024

China: Human Rights Snapshot 2024

Those targeted for arbitrary arrest and incarceration included religious leaders and practitioners, human rights advocates, government opponents, and pro-democracy campaigners. In Tibet and Xinjiang, systematic persecution of ethnic minorities persisted. A study by the OHCHR detailing possible crimes against humanity and other transnational crimes in Xinjiang was attempted to be suppressed by the authorities. 

Sexual abuse, harassment, and other rights breaches against women persisted. The pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong was subjected to ongoing suppression by the government. Under the National Security Law and other oppressive laws, journalists, book publishers, and broadcasters were among those charged with crimes and put in jail; civil society groups, both domestically and internationally, were subjected to intimidation and criminal prosecution for their lawful pursuits. 

Freedom of Expression

After ten years of President Xi Jinping’s reign, the nation’s repression continues to grow. Crimes against humanity, the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang is still ongoing. People who speak with loved ones who live overseas or who support their language, culture, or religion run the risk of being labeled as “separatists” and facing severe prison terms in both Tibet and Xinjiang. 

The Chinese government is progressively enforcing social regulations throughout the country. There is no separate civil society; even the smallest vestiges of liberty are eradicated. The National Security Law has given the Chinese government complete authority over Hong Kong. The list of political targets maintained by the Chinese government is growing. With changes to a legislation on “counter-espionage” in July and the state security ministry urging people to report suspected spies, even foreign workers in China’s international cities find themselves in the sights.

Fear of Arbitrary Arrest

With complete control over the legal system and law enforcement, the CCP(Chinese Communist Party) suppresses pleas from Chinese citizens for freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. Officials frequently imprison those who don’t share the CCP’s philosophy. Individuals who have the audacity to voice their opinions are frequently imprisoned in secret for extended periods of time without access to legal representation or family contact. Assailed by ambiguously phrased allegations that suggest treason and subversion, lawyers, human rights advocates, academics, journalists, religious leaders, religious believers, and members of ethnic and religious minorities are frequently targeted. The CCP uses these arrests and the terror they inspire as instruments to keep its uncontested hold on control over the populace.

Religious Freedom Abuses

One of the biggest violators of religious freedom in the world is the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government, which publicly opposes adherents of all major religions, including Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, and Uyghur Muslims. 

A five-year plan has been approved by the PRC to align all religious theory and practice with the teachings of the Communist Party. Rewriting sacred texts, prohibiting young people from engaging in religious activities, and establishing large-scale detention facilities where inmates are forced to renounce their faith and receive CCP indoctrination are all part of this endeavor. Additionally, the CCP maintains that it has the right to choose Tibetan Buddhist lamas, including the next Dalai Lama, and that house churches and members of the Falun Gong, along with their practices, are “illegal” if they refuse to join organizations headed by the CCP or give up significant portions of their beliefs. 

Authorities frequently shut or destroy places of worship and reward informants with payment for information about members of specific religions.  People who are discovered to be breaking the laws and rules of religion face harassment, surveillance, questioning, arrest, beatings, jail sentences, detention, or disappearance.

Forced Labor

One fundamental labor standard freedom of association is prohibited by Chinese labor regulations. In China, independent unions are prohibited, and businesses are not required to engage in sincere negotiations with employees. The consequences for employees are dire:  There is little enforcement of occupational safety and health laws and little remedy available to employees who are put in hazardous working environments. Many industries often fail to pay their workers. Discrimination in the workplace is pervasive and includes hiring practices that include explicit references to factors such as age, gender, physical appearance, disability, and marital status. State-sponsored forced labor continues to be a major component of the CCP’s campaign of repression against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Authorities are putting literature critical of the CCP on the verge of being removed from library and bookshop shelves, outlawing political slogans supporting democracy, and mandating that schools impose censorship on both instructors and students. Freedom, which allowed Hong Kong to thrive, is being eroded, and its autonomy is being undermined. The dignity, basic freedoms, and human rights of the people of Hong Kong are threatened by Beijing’s unfulfilled promises.

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