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Twenty-six civil society organisations, including the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), urged today UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to address the Chinese government’s alleged crimes against humanity.
The groups called on Türk to use his 27 February global update at the 61st Human Rights Council session to outline his Office’s investigative efforts on the situation in China. They also urged the High Commissioner to explicitly demand that Beijing end and redress its ongoing, systematic human rights violations. The Council’s session runs from 23 February to 31 March 2026.
Inaction on atrocity crimes
Multiple UN bodies, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), have documented the scale of China’s human rights violations, some reaching the conclusion that they may constitute international crimes, including crimes against humanity. However, since the OHCHR’s landmark 2022 report on the Uyghur region (Xinjiang), Türk has shared little public information on progress regarding accountability or specific steps taken by the government.
Meanwhile, Beijing’s repression remains ongoing. Since the conclusion of the previous Council session, Chinese authorities have continued to arbitrarily detain religious leaders and journalists.
They have also prosecuted defenders for free expression and subjected activists to forced disappearances, often denying them adequate medical care. Authorities continue to weaponise the vague charge of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ to silence critics, despite Türk’s prior calls to repeal the provision.
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