Human Rights Council 38: Item 4 General Debate
This UK statement was delivered at the 38th session of the Human Rights Council during the discussion of the Item 4 General Debate.
The Human Rights Council takes place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva
The UK would like to refer to interventions elsewhere on Burma, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi.
The UK remains concerned by the Russian government decision to categorise Jehovah’s Witnesses as “extremists”. Russian authorities must respect religious freedom, which is enshrined in the Russian constitution. We call on Russia to release Ukrainian political prisoners and to grant international human rights monitors access to illegally annexed Crimea.
We call upon China to release those detained for peacefully exercising their constitutional rights and to remove restrictions on Liu Xia. We are concerned about restrictions on ethnic minorities and on the freedom of religion or belief across China, including Tibet, and reports of re-education camps in Xinjiang.
The UK continues to have grave concerns over the human rights situation in the DPRK. We hope ongoing talks will foster the conditions for improvements to the lives of North Koreans.
The situation in South Sudan continues to horrify. Civilians have experienced appalling abuses that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and a culture of impunity prevails. For the sake of its people, these abuses must end immediately.
We remain deeply concerned about the situation in Iran, particularly the continued frequent use of the death penalty. We urge the government to guarantee the freedoms of expression and religion or belief, and to remove barriers to women’s full participation in society.
The UK is concerned about constraints on democratic space in Egypt, including arrests and convictions of political leaders, activists and journalists. We urge the Egyptian government to protect and promote the right to political participation, peaceful opposition and open debate.
In Sudan, the human rights situation remains concerning. We urge the Government to afford greater rights to all, including increased freedom of expression, the press and religion or belief. We also encourage the Government to ratify the CAT and CEDAW.