A Brussels Conference has been told there is allegedly “no freedom of assembly, no freedom to protest, no freedom of religion in China.”
Speaking at the event veteran rights campaigner Willy Fautre also warned that “the path forward is uncertain.”
Fautre opened the conference “Unveiling Authoritarianism: Assessing China’s Governance and Human Rights Landscape”, at the Press Club in Brussels on 29 February.
He noted that China is increasingly present in the news and in the minds of Western politicians “as it is perceived as a threat to the global stability of the world in the near future.”
Fautre, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers, a rights NGO, said the region’s status has raised global concerns about its “political fragility and the degradation of the human rights situation.”
He told the audience, “Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly as well as the independence of the judiciary are under constant threat and attacks.”
“China’s policy of destabilization in the Indo-Pacific region also threatens Taiwan and the cross-straits relations. The intrusion attempts of Beijing in democratic elections is not to be underestimated.”
He said alleged espionage of China through global communication systems “is also taken very seriously in Europe and in America.”
“The intrusion of China in economic and commercial workings of European countries and its expansion in African countries is also extremely dangerous for our sovereignty,” noted Fautre.
The Brussels-based expert alleged, “The human rights situation in China is appalling. One of the prominent concerns is the restriction on freedom of expression. The Chinese government tightly controls media outlets, censors online content, and monitors social media platforms. Dissent and criticism of the government are met with harsh consequences, leading to a chilling effect on free speech. Activists, journalists, and even ordinary citizens face repercussions for expressing views contrary to the official narrative,” he said.
Fautre went on, “Since its invasion, Tibet has lost control of its territory, its present and its future. Its culture and its language have been erased. The same process has been put in place in Xinjiang with the Muslim Uyghurs. There is no political pluralism in China which is ruled by the sole Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with an iron fist.”
He added, “The treatment of the Uyghur minority has attracted global attention. The Chinese government has been accused of committing human rights abuses on a massive scale, including arbitrary detentions, forced labor, and cultural suppression. Satellite imagery and firsthand accounts reveal the existence of internment camps where Uyghurs are subjected to indoctrination programs in detention conditions, “ he added.
Fautre said, “There is no freedom of assembly, no freedom to protest, no freedom of religion in China. The main religions which have been granted some form of limited existence must swear allegiance to the CCP. The Roman Catholic Church has its hands and feet tied. Because they refuse to be subjugated to the CCP, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners and followers of the Church of Almighty God are in prison where they are submitted to inhuman and degrading treatments. Many do not survive their detention. Organ harvesting practiced on detainees has also been abundantly documented and denounced in human rights reports and at the United Nations or in resolutions of the European Parliament,” said Fautre.
Several other speakers voiced concerns about “China’s governance, the human rights landscape and threat to global security.”
They included Benedict Rogers, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, who said, “What makes today’s conference so timely is that just yesterday, a public consultation period regarding a new domestic security law in Hong Kong, known as Article 23 legislation, launched by the Hong Kong government a month ago, ended,” he said.
He went on, “Within the past 24 hours the British Foreign Secretary and Parliamentarians in the UK, USA, Canada and the EU, have condemned all. Last week we, Hong Kong Watch, led a statement signed by 85 other civil society organisations, including Human Rights Watch, Freedom House and Index on Censorship. The Hong Kong government condemned it, and the Hong Kong Security Secretary Chris Tang described it as a “gangster” tactic aimed at intimidating, harassing and interfering with Hong Kong affairs.”
He asked, “When was the last time gangsters prepared a carefully drafted legal and scholarly reviewed statement with over 85 NGOs behind it?”
Also taking part was Christine Mirre, Director of CAP Liberté de Conscience an NGO dedicated to protecting the Right of Freedom of Religion and Belief.
She said that China has ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ICCPR and the Chinese Constitution “theoretically guarantees freedom of religion but the reality on the ground tells a different story.”
She also voiced concern over “China’s disturbing influence on the UN,” saying, “China’s growing influence within the UN poses a significant risk of reshaping the organization to suit its own interests, potentially undermining its core functions.”
Mirre told the debate: “Currently, Chinese nationals head four of the UN’s 15 specialized agencies and contribute 12% of the UN’s regular budget, making China the second-largest financial contributor after the United States. China’s expanded leadership role has raised concerns about its agenda, particularly its integration of the Belt and Road Initiative into UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stifling criticism of its human rights record, and leveraging financial incentives to garner support from member states,” she told the event.
