Uyghurs, Christians, Tibetans, and Falun Gong practitioners have faced ’targeted repression,’ it states.
The United States has joined 14 nations in issuing a joint statement calling for the immediate release of all individuals unjustly detained by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for exercising their fundamental freedom.
The statement highlights the CCP’s persistent use of detention, forced labor, mass surveillance, and restrictions on religious and cultural expression, calling these practices a cause for concern.
“We share ongoing deep concerns about serious violations occurring in China,” reads the statement released by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations on Nov. 21.
“Ethnic and religious minority groups—particularly Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, Christians, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, and others—have faced targeted repression, including through separation of children from families in boarding schools, torture, and the destruction of cultural heritage.”
The nations also voiced concerns about the “continued dismantling of long-standing civil liberties and the rule of law in Hong Kong” as well as “the issuance of arrest warrants and bounties on individuals outside Hong Kong’s borders for exercising freedom of expression.”
The CCP’s suppression of journalists, human rights defenders, and lawyers—both within and beyond its borders—“further exemplify a climate of fear designed to silence criticism,” they stated.
“We call on the People’s Republic of China to release all those unjustly detained for simply exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, which are cornerstones of legitimate governance and global credibility, and to fully comply with its obligations under international law,” the statement reads.
Aside from the United States, Albania, Australia, Czechia, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Palau, Paraguay, San Marino, Ukraine, and the UK also signed this statement.
They urged member states of the U.N. to press the CCP to address human rights violations and “advance meaningful accountability.”
The statement came less than a week after 18 pastors and leaders of Zion Church, one of the largest underground Christian churches in China, were formally arrested by authorities. That includes Ezra Jin, the Zion Church’s founder, who was detained in early October in a coordinated suppression spanning several cities. His daughter, who lives in the United States, is calling on the Trump administration to intervene and press Beijing for their release.
By Dorothy Li
