One year ago in this Council, China claimed in its UPR outcome report that human rights defenders are not “suppressed,” that the freedom of expression is respected without threat of reprisals, and “citizens have the right to criticize and make suggestions to any state organ or official.” On that occasion, China refused to explain the death of Cao Shunli, an activist who was detained after she tried to participate in this Council’s session preceding the UPR of China, and died after being denied access to adequate medical treatment. And in memorably surreal gesture, China tried to block a moment of silence by civil society to remember Cao.
Since that time, China has engaged in a ferocious assault on civil society and the freedom of expression. Over the past year, hundreds of activists—many of them working on issues the government itself prioritizes, such as corruption and environmental protection—have been detained, harassed, and imprisoned. One of China’s finest human rights lawyers, Pu Zhiqiang, awaits clarity regarding the charges against him after months in detention. One of China’s greatest assets in the struggle for inter-ethnic understanding, Ilham Tohti, faces life in prison as of September 2014 on absurd charges of “separatism.” Indeed, just in recent weeks, more than ten women’s rights activists and a handful of environmental activists—individuals doing nothing more than peacefully raising public awareness about sexual harassment and the dangers of pollution—have been detained.
Alongside the deteriorating situations in Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang; the consideration of rights-eroding new laws on counterterrorism, civil society, and national security; and poor cooperation with key UN human rights mechanisms, the Human Rights Council should urgently consider the situation in China.
In Egypt, the human rights situation has shown no tangible progress since the country’s Universal Periodic Review debate. Authorities arrested at least 41,000 people since July 2013, many for protesting or for alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood. At least 90 people died in police stations in greater Cairo during 2014, a 40 percent increase over the year before. Courts handed down hundreds of death sentences in mass trials in 2014. In February 2015, a court sentenced 230 people, including leading liberal activist Ahmed Douma, to life in prison for a 2011 protest, trying all but Douma in absentia. Many NGOs have halted important programs for fear of being punished for refusing to register under the harsh 2002 NGO law or simply for receiving foreign funding. The Human Rights Council should urgently call for an end of the ongoing crackdown.
