China Among Nations Retaliating Against U.N. Engagement, Report Finds

A new report from the U.N. Secretary-General highlights how foreign governments, including China, retaliate against individuals who engage with the United Nations. According to Sophie Richardson, an expert on human rights in China, the Chinese government is particularly aggressive in silencing critics.

“U.N. mechanisms are among the few avenues people inside China have for seeking justice for human rights abuses,” Richardson told VOA. She emphasized that this is why Beijing works so hard to prevent individuals from bringing reports to international bodies.

Richardson, formerly the China director at Human Rights Watch and currently a visiting scholar at Stanford University, expressed concern over China’s current membership in the U.N. Human Rights Council. “In my perfect world, governments cited for reprisals shouldn’t be part of the council,” she said.

The report lists other nations alongside China, including Colombia, India, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and Russia, for retaliatory actions.

Among the highlighted cases in China’s section is the harassment of two international lawyers defending pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai. Lai, currently imprisoned in Hong Kong, faces national security charges widely viewed as politically motivated. His legal team has been subject to threats and hacking attempts, the report states.

Sebastien Lai, Jimmy Lai’s son, thanked the U.N. for spotlighting his father’s case and vowed to continue fighting for his release. Leading barrister Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC condemned the attacks on Lai’s legal team, calling them not only distressing but an assault on the international human rights system.

Other examples from the report include the case of Cao Shunli, a Beijing-based human rights defender who died in custody in 2014, and the ongoing harassment of activists Li Wenzu and Wang Quanzhang, who face intense state surveillance and their son’s denial of school enrollment.

While the report does not cover specific cases involving Uyghurs or Tibetans, Richardson stressed that this highlights how difficult it is for these groups to even engage with U.N. mechanisms due to fear and barriers. Multiple reports have accused China of severe human rights abuses, including genocide against the Uyghur population, allegations Beijing denies.