Serious Human Rights Abuses in China

Serious human rights abuses continued in China during 2024, according to the State Department’s recent Human Rights Report.

“Genocide and crimes against humanity occurred during the year in China against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang,” the reported stated.

“Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings; disappearances; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; involuntary or coercive medical or psychological practices; arbitrary arrest and detention by the government including, since 2017, of more than one million Uyghurs and members of other predominantly Muslim minority groups in extrajudicial internment camps, prisons, and an additional unknown number subjected to daytime-only ‘re-education’ training.”

The State Department also noted “acts of transnational repression against individuals in other countries; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including unjustified arrests and criminal prosecution of journalists, lawyers, writers, bloggers, dissidents, petitioners, and others, and restrictions on internet freedom.”

The Communist regime in China was responsible for restrictions of religious freedom; instances of coerced abortions and forced sterilization; trafficking in persons, including forced labor; prohibiting independent trade unions and systematic restrictions on workers’ freedom of association; and significant presence of some of the worst forms of child labor.

The State Department report found that “the government did not take credible steps or action to identify or punish officials who committed human rights abuses.”

Communist Chinese authorities maintained tight control of all print, broadcast, electronic, and social media and regularly used them to propagate government views and the Chinese Communist Party ideology. Authorities censored and manipulated the press, social media, and the internet, particularly around sensitive anniversaries and topics such as public health.

Those who made comments deemed politically sensitive in public speeches, performances, exhibitions, academic discussions, or remarks to media, or who posted sensitive comments online, were subject to punitive measures, as were members of their families.

In addition, a high level of electronic surveillance in public spaces, coupled with the shift of many citizens’ routine interactions to the heavily monitored digital space, meant the government monitored a significant portion of daily life. Conversations in groups or peer-to-peer on social media platforms and via messaging applications were subject to censorship, monitoring, and action from authorities. These developments further eroded freedom of speech.

Authorities arrested or detained countless citizens for “spreading fake news,” “illegal information dissemination,” or “spreading rumors online.” These claims ranged from sharing political views or promoting so-called religious extremism to sharing factual reports on public health concerns.

The United States stands with the people of China in their struggle to maintain their fundamental human rights and calls on China’s rulers to hold violators of these rights accountable.