China must address human rights violations in Tibet and East Turkistan, according to a 15-nation joint statement.

On 22 October 2024, James Matin Larsen, Australia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, delivered a joint statement on behalf of a coalition of 15 countries, expressing serious concern over grave human rights violations in East Turkistan and Tibet, and calling for urgent action from China. The statement was presented during the general discussion on human rights at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee.

Representing Australia, alongside 14 other countries including Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Ambassador Larsen highlighted grave concerns based on evidence gathered by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and other UN bodies. These findings point to large-scale arbitrary detention, family separations, enforced disappearances, forced labor, and systemic repression of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in East Turkistan. The assessment, released two years ago, described these violations as potentially amounting to crimes against humanity.

The statement also underscored growing concerns over human rights abuses in Tibet. United Nations human rights mechanisms have detailed arbitrary detentions for the peaceful expression of political views, restrictions on travel, forced labor, the forced separation of children from families in boarding schools, and the erosion of cultural, educational and religious rights and freedom in Tibet.

Ambassador Larsen noted that despite repeated international calls for transparency, China has dismissed these concerns and labeled the OHCHR’s assessment as “illegal and void” during its Universal Periodic Review adoption in July 2024. China has yet to undertake a comprehensive human rights review of its policies in Xinjiang, with its problematic legal framework on national security and counterterrorism remaining unchanged, according to an OHCHR statement from August 2024.

The 15 nations called on China to uphold its international human rights obligations and fully implement the recommendations from the OHCHR and other UN mechanisms. These include the immediate release of individuals arbitrarily detained in both East Turkistan and Tibet and full transparency regarding the fate of missing persons. Additionally, the countries urged China to allow independent observers, including those from the UN, unfettered access to assess the human rights situation in these regions.

Concluding the joint statement, Ambassador Larsen emphasised that while no country has a perfect human rights record, all states must be held accountable to international standards. The coalition urged collective global responsibility in protecting and promoting human rights worldwide.

The joint statement reflects ongoing international pressure on China to address allegations of human rights violations in its territories, marking a significant moment in global diplomacy at the UN.