{"id":12860,"date":"2023-02-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savetibet.nl\/nieuws\/eu-suspend-meaningless-human-rights-dialogues-with-beijing\/"},"modified":"2023-02-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T23:00:00","slug":"eu-suspend-meaningless-human-rights-dialogues-with-beijing","status":"publish","type":"nieuws","link":"https:\/\/savetibet.nl\/en\/news\/eu-suspend-meaningless-human-rights-dialogues-with-beijing\/","title":{"rendered":"EU: Suspend Meaningless \u2018Human Rights Dialogues\u2019 with Beijing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Brussels, February 16, 2023 <\/em>\u2013 The European Union should suspend its upcoming human rights dialogue with the Chinese government, given the magnitude of China\u2019s rights crisis, including its potential responsibility for crimes against humanity in the Xinjiang region, ten human rights groups said today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe EU\u2019s human rights dialogues with China have become increasingly meaningless because both sides know that Beijing can make no commitment and get away with it,\u201d said Dolkun Isa from the World Uyghur Congress. \u201cThe EU had gained momentum holding the Chinese government accountable for growing abuses in recent years; it should not dial back by returning to these tick-the-box exercises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/savetibet.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023.02.15-Joint-Public-Letter-EU-should-prioritize-rights-in-relations-with-China-after-findings-of-potential-crimes-against-humanity.pdf\">February 15, 2023 letter,<\/a> ten human rights groups urged the EU to continue to suspend the human rights dialogues with China until conditions are met for tangible outcomes and progress. Instead, any forthcoming bilateral meeting should be used by the EU to commit to follow up the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights report on Xinjiang and set up an independent, international investigative mechanism into crimes against humanity targeting Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim communities and a wider, regular monitoring and reporting process at the UN Human Rights Council on Chinese government\u2019s human rights violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EU should also publicly call for an end to China\u2019s brutal repression in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong and for the release of arbitrarily detained human rights defenders and activists. They include Ilham Tohti, the Sakharov Prize laureate; Gui Minhai, a Swedish publisher; Guo Feixiong and He Fangmei, human rights defenders; Dorjee Tashi, a Tibetan businessman; Chow Hang-tung, a Hong Kong lawyer and activist; Gao Zhisheng and Ding Jiaxi, human rights lawyers; &nbsp;Chang Weiping, a legal scholar, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Human rights dialogues between the EU and the Chinese government&nbsp; have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeas.europa.eu\/node\/60561_en#:~:text=The%2037th%20round%20of%20the,and%20interdependence%20of%20human%20rights.\">suspended since 2019<\/a>, following the EU\u2019s imposition of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-eu-china-sanctions-idUSKBN2BE1AI\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-eu-china-sanctions-idUSKBN2BE1AI\">human rights sanctions<\/a> against officials involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Beijing\u2019s retaliatory sanctions against members of the European Parliament and other individuals and entities. During European Council President Charles Michel&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consilium.europa.eu\/en\/press\/press-releases\/2022\/12\/01\/remarks-by-president-charles-michel-following-his-visit-to-china\/\">visit to Beijing<\/a> in December 2022, President Xi &nbsp;agreed to resume the human rights dialogue.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/article\/3209844\/eu-and-china-resume-human-rights-dialogue-next-week-days-xinjiang-chief-visits-brussels\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/article\/3209844\/eu-and-china-resume-human-rights-dialogue-next-week-days-xinjiang-chief-visits-brussels\">Media reported<\/a> that the EU and China would hold such a dialogue before the end of the week of February 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHaving a human rights dialogue with China cannot seriously be an end in itself,\u201d said Vincent Metten of the International Campaign for Tibet. \u201cThe EU would disregard its own principles if it doesn\u2019t tie its future relations with China with real human rights progress including in Xinjiang and Tibet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the last round of the human rights dialogue in 2019, concerns over the human rights situation in China have continued to grow. In August 2022, a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/countries\/2022-08-31\/22-08-31-final-assesment.pdf\"> UN Human Rights Office<\/a> report &nbsp;concluded that the treatment of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim groups by the Chinese authorities&nbsp; \u201cmay constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;In Hong Kong, the authorities began earlier in February &nbsp;the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2023\/02\/hong-kong-case-against-47-pro-democracy-figures-must-be-dropped-as-politically-motivated-trial-begins\/\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2023\/02\/hong-kong-case-against-47-pro-democracy-figures-must-be-dropped-as-politically-motivated-trial-begins\/\">largest trial<\/a> under the draconian National Security Law &nbsp;against 47 prominent pro-democracy politicians and advocates. In Tibet, the authorities\u2019 assimilation policies threaten Tibetan culture and subject Tibetan writers, intellectuals, and activists to arbitrary detention and lengthy prison terms. Elsewhere, the authorities harass, detain and prosecute human rights defenders and crush free speech on- and off-line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen the EU and its member states meet with China, it will be a litmus test for their human rights commitments in their foreign policy,\u201d said Eve Geddie, EU director at Amnesty International. \u201cCivil society in China and worldwide will be watching. The EU\u2019s credibility as a global human rights actor is at stake, but also the stakes remain high for rights defenders, activists, lawyers, and civil society across China.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The resumption of the EU-China human rights dialogue would come days after China\u2019s new Ambassador to the EU<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/diplomacy\/article\/3209879\/china-eu-relations-lift-sanctions-together-free-cai-investment-deal-chinese-envoy-urges-bloc\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/diplomacy\/article\/3209879\/china-eu-relations-lift-sanctions-together-free-cai-investment-deal-chinese-envoy-urges-bloc\">called<\/a> for lifting reciprocal sanctions and for the swift ratification of a bilateral trade deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe eagerness to resume these dialogues despite their proven ineffectiveness risks signaling that the EU is ready to sweep aside human rights to secure closer trade ties and cooperation with Beijing,\u201d said Philippe Dam, EU director at Human Rights Watch. \u201cLacking any prospect for concrete progress, the EU should suspend the dialogues and double down on its efforts to secure UN action on China\u2019s abysmal record and pursue accountability for international crimes committed in Xinjiang.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Media contacts<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Brussels, Philippe Dam, Human Rights Watch (English, French), +32 495 45 22 71, <a href=\"mailto:philippe.dam@hrw.org\">philippe.dam@hrw.org<\/a><br>In Brussels, Claudio Francavilla, Human Rights Watch (English, Italian), +32 485 77 34 05, <a href=\"mailto:francac@hrw.org\">francac@hrw.org<\/a><br>In Brussels, for Amnesty International, Eve Geddie (English): +32 (0)483694262, <a href=\"mailto:eve.geddie@amnesty.org\">eve.geddie@amnesty.org<\/a><br>In Brussels, Koen Stoop,World Uyghur Congress (English, Dutch), +31 6 15544832, <a href=\"mailto:k.stoop@uyghurcongress.org\">k.stoop@uyghurcongress.org<\/a><br>In Brussels, Vincent Metten, International Campaign for Tibet (French, English), Cell: +32 (0)473 990440, <a href=\"mailto:vincent.metten@savetibet.eu\">vincent.metten@savetibet.eu<\/a>&nbsp;<br>In Geneva, Sarah Brooks, International Service for Human Rights (English, French), +41 78 659 73 37 or <a href=\"mailto:s.brooks@ishr.ch\">s.brooks@ishr.ch<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European Union should suspend its upcoming human rights dialogue with the Chinese government, given the magnitude of China\u2019s rights crisis, including its potential responsibility for crimes against humanity in the Xinjiang region, 10 human rights groups including ICT said today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12861,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categorie":[664],"news_tag":[665],"class_list":["post-12860","nieuws","type-nieuws","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categorie-newstibet-europe-news","news_tag-europe-and-tibet"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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