UN rapporteurs abuse mandate on biased China human rights statement: experts

China’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland and Chinese experts refuted socalled independent “experts” of the UN Human Rights Council on a joint statement that criticized China for “repression of fundamental freedoms,” saying that they abused their mandate out of ulterior motives and issued a press release attacking China based on unverified information.

Around 50 “experts,” most special rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), on Friday called for “decisive measures” to protect “fundamental freedoms in China” and denounced “repression” in China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.

They questioned China’s national security legislation for the HKSAR, accusing China of violating its international legal obligations and imposing severe restrictions on civil and political rights in Hong Kong.

These “experts” trespassed on their mandate and issued an erroneous statement against China, which seriously distorted facts, severely infringed upon China’s sovereignty, interfered in its internal affairs and flagrantly violated the Charter of the UN. China categorically rejects and strongly condemns it, China’s Permanent Mission to the UN Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland said in a statement over the weekend.

A source close to the United Nations HRC said that the statement which is based on bias and unverified information was pushed by one special rapporteur who then colluded with and persuaded other rapporteurs to sign it.

Experts said that among the around 50 “experts,” not many have a clear understanding of China’s “one country, two systems” in its HKSAR and few have ever visited Xinjiang or know the policies there.

“The statement from the ‘experts’ does not represent the HRC’s views and the independence of the rapporteurs is under question as many of them sign statements on issues that are not their areas of specialty, and they lack full understanding of the topics,” said Zhu Ying, deputy director of the National Human Rights Education and Training Base of Southwest University of Political Science and Law.