Global Call: Establish an International Human Rights Monitoring Mechanism for China

To: UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, UN Member States

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We, the undersigned organizations, jointly call for the establishment of an international mechanism to address human rights violations by the Chinese government, and urge Your Excellencies to take decisive action to achieve this goal.

On June 26, 2020, 50 UN human rights experts made an unprecedented call for "decisive measures to protect fundamental freedoms in China." They specifically highlighted China's massive human rights violations in Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang, the suppression of information flow during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the persecution of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and government critics across the country.

Our organizations are also deeply concerned about the global impact of China's human rights violations. China attacks human rights defenders abroad, suppresses academic freedom worldwide, and engages in internet censorship and digital surveillance. We strongly oppose China's promotion of development that disregards human rights, its connivance with government-backed mining companies causing environmental degradation, and the racial discrimination experienced by Chinese people or perpetrated by Chinese state actors overseas.

We regret that China actively distorts the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council, promoting "cooperation" over accountability, and opposing all initiatives aimed at holding perpetrators accountable for major human rights violations and international crimes around the world. China uses its seat on the UN Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Committee to unduly obstruct certain NGOs from obtaining consultative status, while endorsing many Government-Sponsored NGOs (GONGOs). China often prevents human rights defenders from accessing UN facilities, smears speakers at NGO side events as "terrorists," and threatens national delegations to deter them from attending UN side events related to human rights violations (such as atrocities in Xinjiang).

When the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, various special procedures, and dozens of countries urge China to comply with international human rights standards, China lashes back, characterizing these advisories as "inappropriate remarks" that "seriously interfere" with China's sovereignty.

Any country that believes it is above scrutiny poses a fundamental threat to human rights. When China, as a global superpower, expects to be treated this way, everyone is affected.

We therefore support the UN experts' call for the Human Rights Council to hold a special session to evaluate the scope of the Chinese government's human rights violations, and to establish an impartial and independent UN mechanism to closely monitor, analyze and report annually on the issue. We urge the UN Secretary-General to appoint a Special Envoy, in line with his Call to Action for Human Rights, and we call on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to fulfill her independent mandate to monitor and publicly report on China's widespread human rights violations. We support the call that all UN member states and UN bodies should use every opportunity in their interactions with Chinese authorities to insist that the Chinese government comply with its international human rights obligations.

Writing in the spirit of global solidarity and partnership, we sincerely hope that Your Excellencies will act swiftly to counter and remedy the grave human rights violations committed by the Chinese authorities. No country should be above the law.

Sincerely,

Signatory Organizations

21Wilberforce
ACAT Belgium
ACAT Germany (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)
ACAT-France (action des chrétiens pour l'abolition de la torture)
ACAT-Switzerland
Acceso a la Justicia
Access Now
Acción Solidaria
Action des Chrétiens pour l’Abolition de la Torture au Burundi(Acat-Burundi)
ACTION FOR DEVELOPMENT
Adivasi-Koordination in Germany
African Law Foundation (AFRILAW)
AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network)
Agir ensemble pour les droits de l'Homme
Agora Society Malaysia
Alliance Canada Hong Kong
Alliance des Avocats pour les Droits de l'Homme
ALTSEAN-Burma
Amnesty International
Amsterdam stands with Hong Kong
Arab Watch Regional Coalition
ARTICLE 19
Asia Democracy Network (ADN)
Asia Pacific Permanent Peace Alliance
Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)
Asian Solidarity Council for Freedom and Democracy 
Asociación Civil Fuerza, Unión, Justicia, Solidaridad y Paz (FUNPAZ)
Asohorizonte
Australia Tibet Council
Australian Centre for International Justice
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
Australian Uyghur Association
Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales
Benteng Heritage Musrum
Body & Data
Building Inclusive Society Tanzania Organization  (BISTO).
CADAL
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
Cambodia Center for Human Rights
Cambodian Alliance of Trade Union [CATU]
Cameroon Women's Peace Movement
Campaign for Uyghurs
Canada Tibet Committee (CTC)
Canada-Hong Kong Link
CAN-Myanmar
Central Taiwan Society
Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos "Segundo Montes Mozo SJ" (CSMM)
Centro de Justicia y Paz - Cepaz
Centro para la Paz y los Derechos Humanos Universidad Central de Venezuela
ChangSha FuNeng
China Aid
China Change
China Constitutional Democracy Promotion Association
Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD)
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Civilis Derechos Humanos
Clean Clothes Campaign
Coalition Burkinabé des Défenseurs des Droits Humains ( CBDDH)
Coalition des Defenseurs Des Droits Humais (Benin)CDDH-Benin
Coalition for Genocide Response
Coalition Togolaise des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CTDDH)
COC Nederland
Comité Permanente de Derechos Humanos - ACUEM
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peacebuilding
Conectas Direitos Humanos
CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)
DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
Defensa en Accion
Défenseur des droits de l'Homme au Niger
Democracy China Media
Dialogue China
Droits Humains Sans Frontières
East Turkistan Australian Association
ECPM
Endorois Welfare Council
Espacio Público
EXCUBITUS Derechos Humanos en Educacion
Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND)
Fédération Euro-méditerranéenne contre les disparitions forcées
Federation for a Democratic China 民主中国陣線
FIDA CAMEROON
FIDH
FOVIDA - Fomento de la Vida
Frankfurt Stands With Hong Kong
Free Tibet
Freedom House
Fridays for Future, PCT
Friends of Beanstalk Association, Taiwan
Friends of Canada India
Friends of Tibet - Austria
Friends of Tibet (NZ)
Front Line Defenders
FUNCAMAMA
Fundacion Aguaclara
Fundación La Tortuga
Fundación Prodefensa del Derecho a la Educación y la Niñez
Fundaciónpara el Debido Proceso Fundepro
Fundaval
Ghjtrn для трансгендерных людей и их близких T*Revers
GIN-SSOGIE
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Global Justice Center
Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada
Green Advocates International
Groupe de Recherche et de Plaidoyer sur les Industries Extractives (GRPIE)
Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete-Portugal
Halifax Hong Kong Link
Hanbyun (Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea)
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley
Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC)
Hong Kong Global Connect
Hong Kong Watch
HRIC 
Human Rights Defenders Network-SL
Human Rights First
Human Rights Foundation (Japan)　【日本人権財団】
Human Rights in China
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Without Frontiers International
Humanists International
Humanitarian China
Humanity Beyond Borders
ICNA Council for Social Justice
Illa Centro de Educación y Comunicación
In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDEFEND)
Independ Journalist Association of Vietnam
India Alliance for Child Rights
Institut des Médias pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l'Homme (IM2DH)
Institute for Asian Democracy
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute
International Campaign for the Rohingya
International Campaign for Tibet
International Coalition for Papua
International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect
International Commission of Jurists
International Society for Human Rights, Munich
International Tibet Network
ISHR
Japan Uyghur Association
Japan Uyghur Union
Judicial Reform Foundation
Justice Access Point Uganda
Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE)
Karapatan Alliance Philippines
KontraS (The Commission for the Disappeared and the Victims of Violence)
Lady Liberty Hong Kong
Lawyers for Lawyers
Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada
Le Comité pour la liberté à Hong Kong
Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany LSVD
LGBT social movement "REVERS"
Liberty and Democracy Advocacy Club University of Calgary
Liên Đoàn Công Giáo Việt Nam tại Đức
Logos ID
MAFAPO ( madres de los falsos positivos de colombia)
Mazingira Network - Tanzania (MANET)
Meru youth empowerment centre
Miloon Kothari individually as an independent expert and former UN Special Rapporteur
MINBYUN - Lawyers for a Democratic Society International Solidarity Committee
Minority Rights Group International
Monitor Social A.C.
Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
Mouvement Lao pour les Droits de l'Homme
Movimiento Manuela Ramos
Ms. Enakshi Ganguly individually as an independent expert
MUHURI (Muslims for Human Rights)
Nafas LGBT Azerbaijan Alliance
Nako cc
Namibia Diverse Women's Association (NDWA)
National Party of Japan
Netherlands for Hong Kong
NGURUKA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
No Business With Genocide
NO FENCE
Northern California Hong Kong Club
NY4HK ( New Yorkers Supporting Hong Kong )
ONG DEMOCRACIA EMPRENDEDORA
ONG PAFED
Otus Books
Pacific Human Rights Initiative
PEN America
People Go Network
People's Watch
Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selangor
Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)
Philippine Human Rights Information Center
Planet Ally
Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea)
Progressive Voice
PROMEDEHUM
PSCORE (People for Successful COrean REunification)
Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
Red Corpora en Libertad
Red de Activistas Ciudadanos por los Derechos Humanos (Redac)
René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF)
Réseau International des Droits Humains RIDH
Réseau Ouest Africain des Défenseurs des Droits Humains/West African Human Rights Defenders' Network
Réseau Saharaius
Rights and Security International
RUDM
RURAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (RUWODI)
Safeguard Defenders
Save Our Borneo
Save Tibet Austria
Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace
SFT Japan
Society for Threatened Peoples - Germany
Solidarité Chine
Solidarity Sisters Network of Liberia (SoSNoL)
SOS TORTURE BURUNDI
Sounds of the Silenced
Southern Africa Human Rights. Defenderss Network- SAHRDN
Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) Uganda
Southern Mongolia Congress
Sova Center for Information and Analysis
Stand with HK@JPN
Students For a Free Tibet- India
Sustainable Holistic Development Foundation (SUHODE)
Taiwan Kenkyu Rondan 台湾研究フォーラム
Tanzania Human Rights Defenders’s Coalition
Tata Trusts
The Lesbian and Gay Association of Liberia (LEGAL)
The Rights Practice
The Society to Help Returnees to North Korea
The Tibet Support Committee, Denmark
Think Differently Center
Tibet Committee of Fairbanks, Alaska and Alaskans for Tibet
Tibet Justice Center
Tibet Support Group Ireland
TOHKnews
Toronto Association for Democracy in China
Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)
T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
UCV
Una Ventana a la Libertad
United  Belize Advocacy Movement
University of Waterloo Lion Rock Spirit
Uyghur Association of Victoria, Australia
Uyghur Human Rights Project
Uyghur Projects Foundation
Uyghur Refugee Relief Fund
Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
VAJ Vietnamese Association in Japan
Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement
Vancouver Society of Freedom, Democracy & Human Rights for China
Vancouverites Concerned About Hong Kong
Verein für sozial-ökologischen Wandel
VETO! Human Rights Defenders' Network
Viet Tan
Vietnam Human Rights Network
Visual Artists Guild
Wanawake Tanzania Tunaweza (Tanzania Women We Can)
Witness Radio - Uganda
Women Against Violence and Exploitation in Society
Women's March Global
Working Group on India and the UN (WGHR)
World Federalist Movement/Institute for Global Policy
World Uyghur Congress
Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI) / Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation
yBy Media
Young Queer Alliance
Youth Empowerment and Development Association-sierra
Комитет "Гражданское содействие"
Московская Хельсинкская группа
Правозащитный совет Санкт-Петербурга
Сахаровский Центр
チベット問題を考える会　Japan Committee for Tibet
مرصد الصحراء للسلم والديمقراطية وحقوق الإنسان
South Taiwan Society
Taiwan Association for China Studies
Taiwanese Civil Aid to HKers
Parliamentary Investigation Association
Japan Uyghur Association
Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness
Dawn of Hong Kong

※ There are a total of 321 signatory organizations, 39 of which chose to remain anonymous. The original text was published on Human Rights Watch.