China is in the middle of its darkest period for human rights since the assassination of Tiananmen Square, the Human Rights Guard has said in its annual report.
Exacerbated persecution of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Tibet, targeting spies, the crackdown on Hong Kong and attempts to cover up the coronavirus revolution were all part of the the deteriorating situation under President Xi Jinping, the group said.
“This is the darkest time for human rights in China since the 1989 massacre that ended the Tiananmen Square democracy movement,” the report on human rights abuses around the world said.
But 2020 was also the year that world governments found “safety in numbers” to push back on China ‘s forecast policies, with less fear of retaliation, he said.
“The authority of the Chinese government was fully demonstrated in 2020 while it was engaged in the first reported deadly coronavirus revolution in the Wuhan region,” the report said. describing the first cover of the uprising by authorities and the punishment of spy doctors including Li Wenliang and journalists such as Zhang Zhan, who described the Wuhan lockout and surveillance and harassment of the families of virus victims.
At the same time, “the repression of Beijing – by demanding political allegiance to the Communist party of China – has deepened across the country,” he said.
“In Xinjiang, Turkic Muslims are still being held illegally according to their identity, but others are subject to forced labor, mass scrutiny and political disruption. In Inner Mongolia, protests began in September when Chinese education authorities decided to replace Mandarin with Mongolia in several classes in the region’s schools. “
And in Tibet, the authorities continued to “severely restrict freedom of religion, speech, movement and assembly, and failed to rectify popular concerns about mining and land seizure by local officials, who often the introduction of intimidation and illegal use by security forces “.
Demand for political allegiance also increased in Hong Kong’s uniquely independent region. After more than six months of protests in 2019, Beijing enacted an internationally criticized national security law on the city, banning even oppositional acts such as segregation, harassment, harassment offenses foreign and terrorist. Around 90 people have been arrested by law since June.
Internet censorship, mass surveillance and attempts to “sin” religion have deepened across China, the report said. Critics, human rights defenders and journalists have been jailed, taken out of sight or deported, many accused of “inciting obedience” or “building quarrels and ‘trouble-provoking’ – a popular lowered accusation against dissidents and activists.
The 386-page report focused heavily on China because of the growing international response to it. HRW said the rest of the world was becoming more confident in criticizing Beijing, having previously feared revenge.
There was still revenge: China and the US went into a trade war, imposed new visa sanctions and rules on diplomats and diplomats, and closed embassies. Australia has been embroiled in trade tariffs and trade bans after issuing calls for a “strong” inquiry into the origins of the coronation.
But in 2020, world governments found “safety in numbers, demonstrating Beijing’s inability to go against the whole world,” HRW said. Fewer members of the Islamic Cooperation Group – which had previously tended to support China – supported Xinjiang’s policies, and several statements of condemnation were issued by the UN.
The US has passed a number of pieces of legislation aimed at abusing China, while the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US have torn down extradition treaties with the country over their crackdown on Hong Kong. .
“This growing international willingness to condemn the Chinese government has led to a response,” the report said, with Beijing confirming for the first time the number of Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims detained. in Xinjiang, revealing that 1.3 million people had gone through what he called “vocational training centers”.
All statements from the UN were opposed to statements in support of Beijing, which HRW said were “usually signed by many of the world’s worst human rights abusers” , and apparently they involved an economic downturn.
The HRW report said the push back was particularly specific for the “marginal” U.S. role, as the Trump administration was often not involved or lacked credibility when it did.
“The lesson of the last few years has been for other governments to make a real difference even without Washington. Even under a more rights-friendly US administration, this broad protection of rights should be maintained ”.