Current:Home > NewsChina’s critics and allies have 45 seconds each to speak in latest UN review of its human rights-LoTradeCoin
China’s critics and allies have 45 seconds each to speak in latest UN review of its human rights
View Date:2024-12-23 21:02:31
GENEVA (AP) — China faces international scrutiny Tuesday over domestic polices in places like Hong Kong, Tibet and the western Xinjiang region as the global power receives its latest U.N.-backed review of its human rights record.
An extraordinarily high number of more than 160 countries — some critics of Beijing, some allies — have registered to take part in a discussion around China’s rights record. That means each will have no longer than 45 seconds to speak.
China, whose delegation will be led by its top ambassador in Geneva, Chen Xu, can field a delegation that has up to 70 minutes to make its case.
The “universal periodic review” involves all U.N. member states coming up for scrutiny — at times a sharp one — by other countries roughly every five years. The hourslong discussion aims to offer constructive criticism that underpins a written report that will offer recommendations, not criticism.
“These are all opportunities for countries to offer congratulations, criticisms and recommendations. Only recommendations expressly formulated as such ... are taken into account in the review report,” said Pascal Sim, the top spokesperson for the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council, which helps organize the reviews.
Several human rights groups had events planned outside China’s review, and the Tibet Advocacy Coalition, the World Uyghur Congress and human rights defenders in Hong Kong were expected to hold a joint news conference after the proceedings.
Another advocacy group aims to speak out against the forced repatriation from China of women from North Korea who fled the reclusive nation under leader Kim Jong Un.
A pro-Tibet group planned a demonstration outside the U.N. Geneva compound during Tuesday’s discussion.
On the eve of the hearing, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, a lawyer for Jimmy Lai, a former Hong Kong publisher on trial for national security violation, said she expects Lai’s case to be brought up.
Western governments are expected to call for his release and for the repeal of Hong Kong’s national security law, which was imposed on the territory in 2020 to end massive civil unrest. Critics say the law has been used to suppress civil society and undermine freedom of speech
“This is an opportunity for the international community to hold China to account for human rights abuse in Hong Kong,” Gallagher said. “What we’ve seen in the last number of years has been dismantling of civil society, criminalization of dissent, criminalization of critics of Beijing and Hong Kong authorities.”
On Monday, four independent human rights experts who work under a mandate from the council called for Lai’s release and for all charges against him to be dropped.
At China’s last review in 2018, the United States and other countries voiced concerns about China’s treatment of Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Georgia's humbling loss to Mississippi leads college football winners and losers for Week 11
- Matt Damon Shares Insight Into Family’s Major Adjustment After Daughter’s College Milestone
- What causes brain tumors? Here's why they're not that common.
- Bachelor Nation's Kelsey Anderson Shuts Down Jealousy Rumors Amid Fiancé Joey Graziadei's DWTS Run
- Amazon Best Books of 2024 revealed: Top 10 span genres but all 'make you feel deeply'
- Illinois upends No. 22 Nebraska in OT to stay unbeaten
- 'Golden Bachelorette': Gil Ramirez's temporary restraining order revelation prompts show removal
- Did Lyle Menendez wear a hair piece? Why it came up in pivotal scene of Netflix's new 'Monsters' series
- Amazon Black Friday 2024 sales event will start Nov. 21: See some of the deals
- California governor to sign a law to protect children from social media addiction
Ranking
- She was found dead while hitchhiking in 1974. An arrest has finally been made.
- NASCAR 2024 playoff standings: Who is in danger of elimination Saturday at Bristol?
- What the Cast of Dance Moms Has Been Up to Off the Dance Floor
- Friends Creators Address Matthew Perry's Absence Ahead of Show's 30th Anniversary
- Trading wands for whisks, new Harry Potter cooking show brings mess and magic
- See Khloe Kardashian’s Delicious Chocolate Hair Transformation
- Bachelor Nation's Kelsey Anderson Shuts Down Jealousy Rumors Amid Fiancé Joey Graziadei's DWTS Run
- AI is helping shape the 2024 presidential race. But not in the way experts feared
Recommendation
-
Queen Elizabeth II's Final 5-Word Diary Entry Revealed
-
Poll shows young men in the US are more at risk for gambling addiction than the general population
-
Kathryn Crosby, actor and widow of famed singer and Oscar-winning actor Bing Crosby, dies at 90
-
Jelly Roll makes 'Tulsa King' TV debut with Sylvester Stallone's mobster: Watch them meet
-
After years of unrest, Commanders have reinvented their culture and shattered expectations
-
Wisconsin Supreme Court agrees to decide whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stays on ballot
-
Norway’s Plan for Seabed Mining Threatens Arctic Marine Life, Greenpeace Says
-
NFL bold predictions: Who will turn heads in Week 3?