https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hrc49-Os-Hrds-1.m4v<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n* The video was ultimately not played during the HRC session due to time limits.<\/p>\n
Transcript of Oral Statement on Human Rights Defenders<\/h2>\n Human Rights Now is greatly concerned about increasing restrictions on media and civil society around the world.<\/p>\n
The Russian government has enacted lengthy prison sentences for \u201cdisinformation\u201d and has shut down the few remaining independent media.<\/p>\n
In China, the journalist Huang Xueqin and advocate Wang Jianbing were disappeared last September. It was later confirmed that the two were detained in Guangzhou for \u201cinciting subversion of state power\u201d.<\/p>\n
According to multiple sources,[1] the arrests were due to social gatherings at Wang\u2019s apartment. The police acquired photos and a list of nearly 40 people who had participated in the gatherings from surveillance cameras installed at the apartment\u2019s front door.<\/p>\n
After the arrests, police continuously harassed and summoned the other participants for interrogation, asking them to identify material that they deemed as politically sensitive, and forcing them to sign false confessions that were drafted and fabricated by the police.<\/p>\n
We urge the Guangzhou police to release Huang and Wang unconditionally as soon as possible. We urge Chinese authorities to guarantee that all journalists and activists in China can carry out their legitimate professional duties without fear of reprisals and free of restrictions in all circumstances. We finally call for UN officials, independent experts, and governments to increase their monitoring of Huang and Wang\u2019s situation, as well as of all journalists and activists in China.<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n
__________<\/p>\n
[1] Alisha Rahaman \u201cSarkar Concerns mount in China over missing MeToo and labour rights activists\u201d, The Independent, September 22, 2021 (https:\/\/sg.news.yahoo.com\/concerns-mount-china-over-missing-142950431.html?guccounter=1<\/a>); Guo Rui \u201cFears in China for missing #MeToo activist and labour rights campaigner\u201d, South China Morning Post, September 22, 2021 ( https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/politics\/article\/3149606\/fears-china-missing-metoo-activist-and-labour-rights-campaigner<\/a>); \u201cRSF calls for release of Chinese investigative journalist, Huang Xueqin\u201d, Reporters Without Borders, September 28, 2021 ( https:\/\/rsf.org\/en\/news\/rsf-calls-release-chinese-investigative-journalist-huang-xueqin<\/a>); \u201cTribute to an \u2018Ordinary Chinese Activist\u2019\u201d, The China NGO Project, January 24, 2022 ( https:\/\/www.chinafile.com\/ngo\/latest\/tribute-ordinary-chinese-activist<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HRN has submitted a video oral statement to the Human Rights Council in Geneva for their session on the protection of human rights defenders protesting the arbitrary arrests of Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing in China and calling for their immediate release. You can watch the video here, and a transcript of the statement is further below. * The video was ultimately not played during the HRC session due to time limits. Transcript of Oral Statement on Human Rights Defenders Human Rights Now is greatly concerned about increasing restrictions on media and civil society around the world. The Russian government has enacted lengthy prison sentences for \u201cdisinformation\u201d and has shut […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[139,154],"countries":[252],"class_list":["post-6299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-statement","tag-civil-and-political-rights","tag-defenders-democratic-space","countries-china"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t