A human rights group report exposes China’s persecution of activists’ families

Beijing (China), April 21 (ANI): An annual report by Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) reveals Beijing’s continued persecution of dissidents’ families.

The report focuses on the year 2023 and highlights punitive measures taken by Chinese authorities against families of human rights defenders, including young children.

Observers note that China has consistently targeted the families of human rights defenders for decades and has called for global attention to the issue.

The report describes cases in which Chinese authorities harm children, including newborns, as a way to silence and punish their parents.

“The most heartbreaking part of actually inflicting so much pain is the harm done to children. Children who grow up from a young age and see their parents abused and persecuted leave behind long-lasting psychological trauma,” said Renee Xia, director of the NGO Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD).

It also highlights authorities’ denial of families’ access to detained rights defenders in attempts to enforce cooperation.

The CHRD report, ‘If I Disobey, My Family Will Suffer’, addresses the persecution of the families of activists from the Han Chinese majority, Uyghur and Tibetan minorities, and from the pro-democracy movement who fled Hong Kong.

“Child rights defenders, including human rights lawyers, have been punished by guilt by association, deprivation of personal liberty, house arrest, arbitrary detention in government-designated facilities, forced into foster care and obstruction of children’s education,” the report said, adding that “The Chinese government’s collective punishment of families of human rights defenders appears to be state policy.”

The report concludes with actionable recommendations, urging the Chinese government to immediately end all forms of intimidation and extralegal detention of families of human rights defenders.

China’s human rights record has attracted significant criticism worldwide, with the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) last year ranking the country as having the worst human rights record in the world on several measures.

While HRMI began monitoring China’s human rights performance in 2022, it has been monitoring global human rights since 2017.

The US, Britain and several other countries have repeatedly denounced human rights abuses in China, especially against vulnerable groups such as Uighur Muslims and Tibetans.

Human rights groups have accused China of forcibly detaining large numbers of Uyghurs in extensive “re-education camps” and have issued reports alleging crimes against humanity.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are among the prominent organizations publishing such reports.

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