Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Feb. 27: As the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) entered its third day, prominent Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa issued a warning about China’s growing influence within the international body charged with promoting and protecting human rights worldwide.
Isa, a former president of the World Uyghur Congress, claims Beijing is leveraging its economic and diplomatic power to shield itself from accountability for human rights violations, particularly against the Uyghurs in East Turkistan. “Authoritarian regimes like China have severely undermined the UNHRC, using it as a platform to present a completely misleading picture of the human rights situation in their countries,” Isa stated, according to Asian News International (ANI).
The activist highlighted a 2022 incident as evidence of China’s influence, when a resolution addressing the Uyghur crisis failed despite support from 17 nations. The resolution was defeated by 19 countries, many of which receive substantial economic assistance from China.
Isa expressed particular disappointment in Muslim-majority nations that have remained silent on China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims. “China’s discriminatory and genocidal practices against Uyghur Muslims are allowed to go unchallenged,” he remarked.
The credibility of the UNHRC has suffered in recent years, according to Isa, partly due to the U.S. withdrawal from the Council, which created a power vacuum that China and other authoritarian governments have exploited. He warned that “a new ‘human rights’ framework shaped under China’s leadership will endanger countries that uphold democratic principles.”
In a call to action, Isa urged democratic nations to counter Beijing’s influence and work to restore integrity to global human rights mechanisms. “It is vital for every enlightened government to contribute to reshaping the global human rights landscape and reinstating its credibility,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the opening day of the UNHRC session on February 24 saw the Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Liechtenstein (TCSL) stage a protest outside UN headquarters in Geneva. More than 80 demonstrators, including Chinese Christians and members of various Tibetan support groups, gathered to condemn the human rights situation in Tibet under Chinese rule.
Phuntsok Topgyal, UN Advocacy Officer at the Tibet Bureau Geneva, addressed protesters and acknowledged Switzerland’s role in human rights advocacy. He congratulated Swiss Ambassador Jürg Lauber on his January 2025 election as President of the UN Human Rights Council and welcomed the Swiss Federal Council’s recent approval of a report examining the situation of Tibetans in Switzerland and the transnational repression they face.
The 58th session of the UNHRC, which began on February 24, will continue until April 4, 2025.
