Human rights

Human rights are systematically disregarded in China. Although they are enshrined in the constitution, massive violations are extensively documented. The Table.media editorial team provides all the news on this topic. Human rights in China China systematically disregards human rights. This is despite the fact that the People's Republic has enshrined human rights in its own constitution since 2004. Nevertheless, international human rights organizations regularly prove that the People's Republic violates the individual freedoms of its own population. Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and freedom of communication are restricted in China. Political opponents are threatened with torture. In addition, around 8,000 death sentences are carried out every year, and the human rights situation in China has changed drastically since President Xi Jinping became leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). All organizations and individuals who advocate freedom of expression and a strong civil society are subject to increased surveillance and censorship. To this end, Xi Jinping enacted his own National Security Law. It allows activists and critics to be punished. Has China signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? China has signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on Human Rights. This was due to political pressure from the international community. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights therefore also applies in the People's Republic. However, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN Human Rights Council and many activists and opposition members within the country regularly prove that the Chinese Communist Party does not adhere to these minimum standards, and the People's Republic has signed a total of twenty UN human rights conventions. For example, the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. However, China restricts their scope of application. With reference to its status as a developing country. This allows the People's Republic to restrict the right to strike, for example. Official position of the Communist Party on human rights in China The World Press Freedom Index 2021 ranks China 177th out of a total of 180 countries. International interest in the observance of human rights in China (CPC) has led to a worsening of the situation on the ground. The Chinese Communist Party has made it clear in party document number nine that freedom, democracy and human rights are values of Western states that are intended to undermine the power of the CCP, and human rights are defined differently in China. The government of the People's Republic does not accept the universality of human rights. Although it is officially "respected", it is not pursued in practice. According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the Chinese Communist Party works according to three central principles: Which human rights are violated in China? Above all, the People's Republic of China violates freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and freedom of communication. On the one hand, because the media are controlled by the state. On the other hand, because critics of the regime are arrested on charges of endangering the state. There is also no political freedom. Dissidents, dissenters or even organized opposition groups must expect drastic punishments. This is another reason why an independent judiciary is unthinkable in China under the current leadership, and freedom of movement is also restricted in China. For example, there is a registration register that classifies people as "rural residents" or "urban residents". Migrant workers are considered "rural residents" regardless of where they live and have significantly fewer rights. Freedom of religion also only exists in theory. Members of the Communist Party, for example, must be atheists. In addition, the political leadership demands control over the religious content of all registered faiths. What are you not allowed to do in China? The People's Republic violates human rights above all when the Communist Party believes it is serving the common good. There are two laws where the government resorts to particularly draconian measures. Firstly, no one in China is allowed to demand the independence or self-determination of territories. Tibet is probably the most prominent example of this. Secondly, it is forbidden to question the Communist Party's claim to leadership. According to this interpretation, violations of human rights in China primarily affect ethnic minorities, 56 of whom live in the People's Republic. The various ethnic groups are allowed to speak their own languages and teach them in their schools. Unless there are local independence movements or attempts at democratization. The current focal point is the Xinjiang region. Several Muslim minorities live here. Mainly Uyghurs, Kyrgyz and Kazakhs. They are under constant surveillance via cameras on the streets, thousands of them are in re-education camps and have to perform forced labor. The Chinese government is also promoting the resettlement of Han Chinese in the region. On the one hand to monitor the minorities, on the other hand to impose Chinese culture on the minorities. How are human rights violated in China? Human rights are violated in various ways in the People's Republic of China. Organized political opponents of the Communist Party are hit particularly hard. They are regularly arrested and imprisoned. Even without a trial. There are also cases of confessions forced under torture. It is also common for these dissidents to be arrested and temporarily detained before major events. This is to prevent contact with any representatives of the Western press who may be present, and people with disabilities often have a harder time in China than other people. Universities are allowed to reject them. Although they are allowed to attend school, they can be denied school materials that they would need due to their disability. Human Rights Watch denounces the fact that many children with disabilities receive no education at all. There are around 83 million people with disabilities living in the People's Republic, around 40% of whom can neither read nor write. Total control through the social credit system The Communist Party keeps a particularly close eye on political counter-movements, democratic aspirations and attempts at independence. In order to maintain total control over its citizens, the government in Beijing has installed an extremely elaborate surveillance apparatus. The "social credit system". It is an attempt to enforce desirable social behavior through control, rewards and punishments.various data are linked together for the social credit system. For example, creditworthiness or criminal records. But also data from partner companies such as Tencent or Alibaba. The majority of Chinese people's online activities take place via their platforms. If citizens behave correctly from the Communist Party's point of view, they receive points. Those with many points are rewarded. For example, with easier access to a loan. But points can also be deducted. For example, for critical comments on social media. What is censored in China? Media in the People's Republic of China are subject to strict censorship ordered by the Communist Party. According to Reporters Without Borders, this affects all media that reach a large number of people. This includes the press, text messages, short messages, television, radio, video games, film, theater, literature and the Internet. Xi Jinping, the Chinese head of state, believes that the media should first and foremost serve the party, and political content is subject to the strictest surveillance. There are a number of topics that are not allowed to be written about. First and foremost the independence movements in Tibet and Taiwan. But the religious movement Falun Gong and the Tiananmen protests of 1989 are not allowed to be mentioned either. Reports on democracy, corruption, Maoism, police brutality or extreme wealth inequality are also prohibited. Human rights in China: plans of the Communist Party For the Chinese Communist Party, human rights are an attempt to weaken the People's Republic. Liberating its own citizens from poverty is the "true realization of human rights". At the beginning of 2021, President Xi Jinping officially declared an end to poverty in China. However, no steps towards more human rights have been taken since then. On the contrary, Amnesty International emphasizes that China's action plan on human rights in its own country does not even address key issues such as freedom of expression, censorship and the death penalty.in fact, it is often unclear in China to whom human rights apply and to whom they do not. For example, environmental protests against aluminum smelters are suppressed. However, reports about polluted farmland are permitted. There are successful lawsuits by NGOs against environmental offenders, as the Federal Agency for Civic Education (BpB) writes, but environmental activists are also arbitrarily arrested. Human rights are used to push through the political agenda, writes the BpB. Future of human rights in China The Federal Agency for Civic Education analyzes that an improvement in human rights in China is only possible if the Communist Party establishes an independent judiciary, ends censorship and allows freedom of expression and assembly. However, it also states that this is "impossible under the current leadership". The Table.Media editorial team reports on the changes and news regarding human rights in China.