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Marking Human Rights Day 2025, the European Union (EU) accused China of intensifying its suppression of fundamental freedoms and failing to make any meaningful progress on human rights.
The EU Delegation to China reiterated its commitment to uphold the "universality and indivisibility of human rights," as enshrined in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union, while expressing deep concern over China's continued repression across several regions. Despite sustained diplomatic engagement during the 40th EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels and at the 25th EU-China Summit, the EU noted that the situation in China has further deteriorated. The statement emphasised that systemic restrictions on freedoms of expression, religion, and culture have persisted, threatening the very existence of minority identities. It underscored that China, a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), has consistently failed to uphold its obligations under international law. The EU drew particular attention to Xinjiang, citing multiple credible reports, including findings from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which indicate that China's policies in the region "may constitute crimes against humanity." The statement condemned forced labour practices, coercive labour transfers of Uyghurs, and state-led campaigns aimed at erasing cultural and religious identities. Tibet was described as facing a parallel crisis, with widespread surveillance, interference in monasteries, and the imposition of Mandarin-language education undermining Tibetan culture. The EU renewed its demand for information on the long-disappeared 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and insisted that religious leadership decisions, such as the succession of the Dalai Lama, remain free from state control. The EU also criticised the erosion of linguistic rights in Inner Mongolia and denounced the crackdown on religious networks like the Beijing Zion Church. It called on China to abolish Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL), which it described as a form of enforced disappearance, and to end the use of the death penalty. Brussels also condemned China's repression of journalists, human rights defenders, and pro-democracy activists, especially in Hong Kong under the National Security Law. (ANI)
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