U.S. Mission to International
Organizations in Geneva

U.S. Statement at the Universal Periodic Review of China
 31^st Session
Geneva, November 6, 2018
As prepared for delivery

The United States welcomes the delegation of China.

We are alarmed by the Government of China’s worsening crackdown on Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslims in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

We recommend that the Government of China:

1. Abolish all forms of arbitrary detention, including internment camps in Xinjiang, and immediately release the hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of individuals detained in these camps.
2. Cease harassment and extraterritorial abduction of human rights defenders and their family members, cease house arrest and travel restrictions for people based on their rights-defense work, and release those imprisoned for such work, including Tashi Wangchuk, Ilham Tohti, Huang Qi, and Wang Quanzhang.
3. Amend the definition of subversion to remove all exercise of an individual’s human rights and fundamental freedoms from its scope.
4. Cease interference in the selection and education of religious leaders, such as Tibetan Buddhist lamas.

We regret that the Government of China has not taken action on its previously accepted UPR recommendations, including: to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ensure respect for freedom of expression, prevent torture, immediately inform relatives about arrests and provide effective legal representations to defendants, protect the human rights and religious freedom of Uighurs, Tibetans, Christians, and other marginalized populations, and ban discrimination based on gender.