We, the undersigned group of human rights and religious freedom organizations from various backgrounds, express our serious concern following the appointment of Chinese Minister Jiang Duan to the UN Human Rights Council’s Consultative Group this month. We call on Asia-Pacific members to adopt a stricter standard of scrutiny during the selection process. China’s selection represents a blow to the UN human rights system. This is not only because of the government’s demonstrably poor record on human rights, but because of its frequent refusal to cooperate with independent UN monitors. These are the very officials that China’s delegate now has the power to approve or reject.
continue reading Open letter to UN Asia-Pacific Regional Group on China’s appointment to UN HRC Consultative Group