The following statement has been initiated by Friends of Socialist China. You can add your name as an individual signatory using Google Forms. Once you do so, your name will appear on this page within a few hours. Organizations wishing to add their signatures to this statement should contact us at info@socialistchina.org
We strongly condemn the publication by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of its Assessment of human rights concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China. In the words of former OHCHR lawyer and human rights expert Alfred de Zayas, this document “should be discarded as propagandistic, biased, and methodologically flawed.”
Based on substandard research methods and biased sources, the Assessment is completely lacking in credibility. It treats arms of the military-industrial complex such as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), along with professional anti-communists such as Adrian Zenz, as legitimate sources. Meanwhile the voices of Chinese NGOs, academics and individuals are suppressed, as are the numerous reports of diplomatic trips to Xinjiang – including by representatives of Muslim-majority countries – that have taken place in recent years.
The Assessment pointedly ignores China’s extraordinary progress in promoting the human rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang: in relation to poverty alleviation, social welfare, economic development, safety from terrorist attacks, and more. Instead, the document uses deliberately ambiguous language – that China’s actions “may” constitute crimes against humanity – in order to slander the People’s Republic of China whilst maintaining some plausible deniability.
It is highly suspicious that the Assessment makes no mention of then-UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s visit to Xinjiang in May 2022. Having visited a prison and spoken to former trainees at a vocational education and training center; having interacted with civil society organizations, academics, and community and religious leaders; Bachelet found no evidence of crimes against humanity. The numerous conversations she had do not form part of the data set for the Assessment.
What is the reason for the disparity between the OHCHR report and Bachelet’s end-of-mission statement? It is painfully obvious that the OHCHR has come under intense pressure from the US to bolster the credibility of the lurid slanders that have been thrown at China by Western politicians and journalists. Such propaganda forms part of the West’s imperial agenda of undermining China.
The OHCHR Assessment does a profound disservice to the cause of strengthening global human rights cooperation. The report does not enjoy a mandate from the General Assembly or the Human Rights Council, and it runs counter to the wishes and interests of the mainstream of the international community. A joint statement delivered by Cuba at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council in June this year stated its firm opposition to the “politicization of human rights and double standards, or interference in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights”. This statement was signed by 69 countries, the overwhelming majority from the Global South.
Given the OHCHR’s relative silence in relation to persistent human rights abuses by the imperialist powers, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the Assessment is politically-motived, produced under pressure from the US, and designed to contribute to a dangerous, escalating New Cold War.
We call on the OHCHR to withdraw its Assessment, and we stand in solidarity with the people of China, subjected to abhorrent and baseless accusations.
Initial signatories (organizations)
- ANSWER Coalition
- Canadian Peace Congress
- China Network for International Exchanges
- Chinese Association for International Understanding
- Communist Party of Australia
- Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist–Leninist)
- Communist Party of Britain
- Communist Party of Canada
- Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
- Communist Workers League
- Freedom Road Socialist Organization
- Geopolitical Economy Research Group
- Ghana China Friendship Association
- Goldsmiths Anti-Imperialist Society
- Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War
- Institute for Independence Studies
- Instituto Simón Bolívar
- International Action Center
- International Manifesto Group
- La Città Futura
- Multipolarista
- Network in Defense of Humanity (Quebec chapter)
- New Cold War
- New Communist Party (Britain)
- Partido Comunista do Brasil
- Party of Communists USA
- Party for Socialism and Liberation
- Peace, Land, and Bread
- Popular Resistance
- Red Fightback
- Qiao Collective
- Socialist Unity Party
- South African Communist Party
- South African Peace Initiative
- The Canada Files
- Veterans for Peace – China Working Group
- Workers and Peasants Party Pakistan
- Workers World Party
- Young Communist League (Boston)
- Young Communist League (Britain)
Initial signatories (individuals)
- Kojo Amoo Gottfried (former Ambassador of Ghana to the People’s Republic of China)
- Roland Boer (Professor, Dalian University of Technology)
- Ben Chacko (Editor, Morning Star)
- Michael Dunford (Emeritus Professor, University of Sussex)
- Raymond Ferguson (National Secretary, Australia-DPRK Friendship and Cultural Society)
- John Foster (Emeritus Professor, University of the West of Scotland)
- Robert Griffiths (General Secretary, Communist Party of Britain)
- Kenneth Hammond (Professor, New Mexico State University)
- David Laibman (Editor Emeritus, Science & Society)
- Dee Knight (DSA International Committee member)
- Doug Nicholls (General Secretary, General Federation of Trade Unions)
- Dirk Nimmegeers (Editor, ChinaSquare.be)
- Ben Norton (Editor, Multipolarista)
- Suzanne Berliner Weiss (author and activist for social justice)
Individual signatories
| Name | Role/organization | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Niels Duus Nielsen | Denmark | |
| Michael Wongsam | Britain | |
| Simon Heim | Student | Hong Kong SAR, China |
| David Altimier | Professor, Political Analyst | Mexico |
| João Roque | Brazil | |
| C Larsson | ||
| TAN KIN LIAN | Singapore | |
| Peter Olech | Britain | |
| Stefania Fusero | Italy | |
| 高玮鸿 | China | |
| Ng Kong Hung | Singapore | |
| Christopher Helali | International Secretary of the CC of PCUSA | United States |
| JOSEPH PIETTE | Workers World Party | United States |
| Keith Heywood | Britain | |
| Mark Le | Canada | |
| Joe Lee | Australia | |
| Philippe Gendrault | PRCF | United States |
| Daniel J. Brown | Australia | |
| Lyn Neeley | Teacher AFT | United States |
| Régis Apolinário Coelho | Student/IFES | Brazil |
| Jakob Ulrik Munck | Denmark | |
| Steve Sweeney | Journalist | Britain |
| Dan Ross | Britain | |
| Gregory Dunkel | Retired, AFT2343 | United States |
| Nan Zhang | Canada | |
| Ng Sauw Tjhoi | Chief-editor “China Vandaag” | Belgium |
| Marie-France Germain | Canada | |
| Dakota | Indigenous man of Canada | Canada |
| Edward Owen Redmond | Britain | |
| Tony Kinder | University Researcher | Britain |
| Kim E Koo MD | United States | |
| Edward Owen Redmond | Britain | |
| De Maegd Frans | ARLAC (Solidarity with Latin America and the Caraibes). | Belgium |
| floyd gardner | veterans for peace | United States |
| Sue Haris | International Action Center | United States |
| juan donost | Mexico | |
| Matthew Louie | United States | |
| Man Lee | wenyahonline.com | Australia |
| Robin Stowe | United States | |
| Ann Logan | Retired book editor | Britain |
| CRISTOBAL CANO MOREY | Spain | |
| Joseph Thompson | Student | United States |
| William Murphy | Retired | United States |
| Jason Bowers | United States | |
| Michael Chia | Singapore | |
| Marcel | Brazil | |
| Alex Tan | Malaysia | |
| Roger Stoll | United States | |
| Pat Turnbull | Britain | |
| Stewart Kelly | concerned citizen | United States |
| Larry M Lee | Canada | |
| Lekx | Member-activist of grassroots movement Peace With Venezuela The Netherlands (Vrede Met Venezuela) | Netherlands |
| Mitchell Shore | Canada | |
| Dave Thomas | Chair Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association of Niagara | Canada |
| Maure | United States | |
| Doug Nicholls | General Federation of Trade Unions | Britain |
| Zhen Chi | China | |
| Peta Elmes | United States | |
| Peta Elmes | United States | |
| Victor Koppe | Lawyer (genocide specialist) | Netherlands |
| Jonn Mero | Norway | |
| Clinton Scott | Britain | |
| Vicente Castells | Britain | |
| James De Burghe | China | |
| Mark Charles Rosenzweig | United States | |
| Songyon Jing | China | |
| Stan Squires | Canada | |
| Alexander Reysenbach | Pensioner | Belgium |
| Bob Oram | Britain | |
| Daniel B | ||
| Pete Foley | Britain | |
| William Dere | Journalist and author | Canada |
| Wilhelm Reichmann | ||
| Chin K Seah | Canada | |
| Asfred Maldonado | Puerto Rico | |
| Brandon Miles | Independent Journalist | United States |
| Joe Herosy | United States | |
| Danny Li | United States | |
| Wilfred Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka Peace & Solidarity Council | Sri Lanka |
| Peggy Powell Dobbins | United States | |
| Elizabeth Smith | Canada | |
| Amrit | Canada | |
| Matthew Almonte | United States | |
| Edward Tripp | Retired | United States |
| Xiaoming Guo | Canada | |
| Stephen Paulmier | Hawai’i Friends of the Soviet People | Occupied country of Hawai’i |
| Iris Yau | Lecturer & Curator | Britain |
| Laurence Wright | ||
| RAFAEL QUEIROZ ALVES | Researcher | Brazil |
| Sandy Eaton, RN | United States | |
| Kate Lattimore | Britain | |
| Ben Lunn | Composer | Britain |
| Hank Keeton | Keeton Corporation | United States |
| BobAkamine | United States | |
| Mark Prenter | Australia | |
| Giles Geetooah | United States | |
| phoebe | Britain | |
| Demba Moussa Dembele | Economist | Senegal |
| Wei Weng LEONG | Singapore | |
| David Ayrton | Britain | |
| Ron Judd | New Zealand | |
| Youri Smouter | journalist & host of 1+1 at 1+1 hosted by Youri Smouter fmrley Yuri Muckraker at youtube | Belgium |
| Calla Mairead Walsh | United States, Canada | |
| Ping Hua | No Cold War Britain | Britain |
| Peter Rubin | United States | |
| Brishni Chattopadhyay | India | |
| Damien Marsic | China | |
| Bill Meyer | Michigan Peace Council | USA |
| Tom Wickham | Ireland | |
| Fabio Massimo Parenti | Associate Professor of International Political Economy | Italy |
| Michael Aw | Australia | |
| Bertil Carlman | Retired teacher | Sweden |
| Yick Foon WONG | Retiree | Australia |
| Arsenio Panuelos | Philippines | |
| David Lee | Australia | |
| Robert Fitzthum | ||
| Derek Blackmore | Britain | |
| James K Inkenbrandt | United States | |
| Matthew Campbell | United States | |
| Joris De Winter | Belgium | |
| Anna Eckert | United States | |
| B. Keith Brumley | United States | |
| David Müller | Switzerland | |
| Joe Montero | Australia | |
| Kevin Lindemann | United States | |
| Karen Aram | United States | |
| Kostas Kalogeropoulos | Researcher | Greece |
| Dr. Tamara Prosic | Researcher, Monash University | Australia |
| Jui Ching Ling | Netherlands | |
| Kevin Patrick Michael McCann | Communist Party of Britain | Britain |
| Antonis Balasopoulos | Cyprus | |
| Håkan Danielsson | Sweden | |
| Laura Wells | Green Party | United States |
| Ethan Evalobo | United States | |
| Derek Grigsby | Organizer / MECAWI ( Michigan emergency committee against war and injustice ) | United States |
| Iain Inglis | China | |
| Leo Collins | Ireland | |
| Michael Shane | United States | |
| ko ruijter | Netherlands | |
| Loo Wen Siang | Malaysia | |
| Siqlme Cqkft | Singapore | |
| Ruipeng Li | China | |
| Andre S | ||
| Jake Hemingway | United States | |
| Joseph Ostos | United States | |
| M. K. Brussel | United States | |
| Mike Shane | Communist Workers League (Fighting-words.net) | United States |
| Karen Li | Retired teacher | United States |
| Robert Laffin | United States | |
| Ray Gaston | Team Vicar Parish of Central Wolverhampton | Britain |
| Leonardo Bargigli | Università di Firenze | Italy |
| John Sharkey | Canada | |
| M. K. Brussel | United States | |
| Mushahed Ahmed | Member of the central committee, Communist Party of Bangladesh (M-L) | Bangladesh |
| Dilip Barua | General Secretary, Communist Party of Bangladesh (M-L) | Bangladesh |
| Miguel Figueroa | Canadian Peace Congress | Canada |
| Elisabeth Hills | United States | |
| Ruipeng Li | ||
| Eddy Sebahi | France | |
| Noah Berman | Britain | |
| Nino Pagliccia | Frente Hugo Chavez - Canada | Canada |
| eloi ramirez | United States | |
| kwok zu lim | Singapore | |
| Bobby Chen | ChinaRock.FM | United States |
| Cui Guowei | Chairman/Shaanxi Provincial Patriotic Volunteer Association | China |
| Hulun Buir Environmental Protection Volunteers Association | China | |
| Shaanxi Patriotic Volunteers Association | China | |
| Wang Junzhan | China Great Wall Society | China |
| Gansu NGO Network for International Exchanges | China | |
| Dragon Design Foundation | China | |
| 北京春晖博爱公益基金会 Chunhui Children's Foundation | China | |
| China Association for Promoting International Economic & Technical Cooperation | China | |
| China Arab Exchange Association | China | |
| Ken Stone | Treasurer, Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War | Canada |
| China Association for Promoting International Economic & Technical Cooperation | China | |
| China Arab Exchange Association | China | |
| Middle East Foundation for Peace Development | China | |
| World Digital Economy Forum Secretariat | China | |
| China Africa Investment and Trade Promotion Association | China | |
| Dragon Design Foundation | China | |
| Chunhui Children's Foundation | China | |
| Beijing Changier Education Foundation | China | |
| Novel Inception Foundation | China | |
| Enlai Foundation | China | |
| Beijing Crafts Council | China | |
| Beijing Hengji Health Management and Development Foundation | China | |
| Beijing NGO Network for International Exchanges 感谢！ | China | |
| Charles Britz | United States | |
| Arnold August | The Canada Files | Canada |
| Michael Callura | Retired Steelworker | Canada |
| Kit Aislyn Haynes | Sigil | United States |
| Alias Hope | United States | |
| Farooque Chowdhury | ||
| John Considine | ||
| Clare Hariri | Britain | |
| Raymond Ferguson | National Secretary Australia-DPRK Friendship and Cultural Society | Australia |
| David Laibman | Editor Emeritus, Science & Society | United States |
| Peter Gose | Canada | |
| China Society for Human Rights Studies | China | |
| China Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences（CUAES） | China | |
| Lijun Zhang | China Association of Ethnic Economy (CAEE) | China |
| Xiaohua Wu | Chinese Association For Ethnic Policy (CAEP) | China |
| China Ethnic Minorities’ Association For External Exchanges (CEMAEE) | China | |
| Minzu Unity and Progress Association of China(MUPAC) | China | |
| Russel Harland | Trade Unionist | Britain |
| Sara Barker | Canada |
I agree
Well done. Great statement
I am from Vancouver,Canada and i wanted to say that the OHCHR has just proved that it can’t provide an accurate assessment of the Human Rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Antonomous Region,People’s Republic of China. For that reason this Human Rights Report should be withdrawn and condemned.It is the US Gov’t that is to be blamed for this atrocity.
I agree.
I fully agree with this condemnation. Please add my name to the list of individual signatories. I am a journalist, writer and Human Rights activist in Montreal, Canada.
I agre with the above statement condemning OHCHR on its so-called “assessment” on human rights in Xinjiang Uyghur Atonomous Region.
I agree with the above statement condemning OHCHR on its so-called “assessment” on human rights in Xinjiang Uyghur Atonomous Region.
Please add my name to the list of individual signatories.
Retited Steelworker Canada.
The Western Governments have Double Standards.
As an ordinary Chinese person who is not a scholar, I would like to share some facts so that the public outside of China will know how absurd such allegations are.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, there were two groups of Uyghurs on the streets of my eastern coastal city (with an overwhelmingly Han Chinese population) – the “walnut cake sellers,” more than half of whom were forced to buy and sell by force and threat of violence to defraud consumers; and the The other is a group of thieves. (I personally do not have any ethnic hatred or discrimination, but on the contrary I have studied and know more about Islam and its history including Central and West Asia than most people.) Apparently these minorities are very poor (some of their homelands are naturally economically disadvantaged since ancient times, e.g. they are the driest regions and the most distant from the Ocean in The World ) and have left to become criminals to make a living.
And due to some protection of their special status such as their ethnic beliefs, it leads to a certain degree of police connivance to the existence of these crimes, so that these phenomena and influences persist, even if in reality their numbers are very small.
In other words, it is clear from such trivial matters that if the “inferior” criminals of a certain ethnic group in society can be treated as supranationals, it is hard to imagine that this group as a whole will instead be treated with discriminatory persecution. The mechanism of social functioning will not work.