US, UN Call Out Human Rights Abuses in China

The United States along with 14 other nations issued a joint statement at the United Nations expressing deep concerns about serious human rights violations in China.

The statement notes there are credible reports of “persistent use of arbitrary detention, forced labor, unlawful or arbitrary uses of mass surveillance, and restrictions on religious and cultural expression in China. Ethnic and religious minority groups — particularly Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, Christians, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, and others — have faced targeted repression.”

A particularly egregious case of abuse of religious freedom occurred in mid-October when Chinese authorities detained nearly 30 pastors and staff members belonging to Zion Church. It was the biggest crackdown on Chinese Christians in seven years, according to press reports. Eighteen of those detained have been formally arrested and could face up to three years in prison if convicted.

ChinaAid, a Christian nonprofit human rights organization, said in a statement that the leaders were arrested on "politically motivated charges.” Dr. Bob Fu, Founder and President of ChinaAid, said, “The formal arrest of these 18 faithful Zion Church pastors and co-workers is a chilling milestone in the [Chinese Communist Party’s] all-out war on Christianity in China. Their only ‘crime’ is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shepherding God’s flock, and refusing to turn Christ’s church into a propaganda tool of the Communist Party.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the arrests. “This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches. We call on the CCP to immediately release the detained church leaders and to allow all people of faith, including members of house churches, to engage in religious activities without fear of retribution.”

Chinese state censorship and surveillance are used to control information, limit public discourse, and punish those who challenge official narratives, according to the UN joint statement. The suppression and transnational repression of journalists, human rights defenders, and lawyers further exemplify a climate of fear designed to silence criticism. These actions erode trust and are in direct contradiction to the very principles that sustain global stability and human progress.

Signatories also expressed concern about the continued “dismantling of long-standing civil liberties and the rule of law in Hong Kong and about the issuance of arrest warrants and bounties on individuals outside Hong Kong’s borders for exercising freedom of expression.”

The joint statement “call(s) 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.”

“We also urge Member States acting through the United Nations to call on China to address credible human rights violations and to advance meaningful accountability.”