UN Human Rights Council 43: Item 4 General Debate
UK International Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, delivers a statement during the Item 4 General Debate.
Thank you, Madam President,
We remain deeply concerned about China’s systematic human rights violations in Xinjiang, which UN experts have said is incompatible with China’s international human rights obligations. Credible and growing reports of forced labour heighten our concern. China should allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and her Office immediate and unfettered access.
Russia must uphold the human rights of all its people, throughout the Russian Federation and in Chechnya, including the right to a fair trial, and the prohibition on torture and Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment. We remain deeply concerned about human rights violations by Russian de-facto authorities in illegally annexed Crimea.
We call upon Egypt to improve prison conditions, in line with Committee Against Torture recommendations, and to lift restrictions on civil society, including by releasing all those detained for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of expression.
The situation in Venezuela, as documented in the July 2019 OHCHR report, is deeply concerning. We call for respect for the National Assembly, the restoration of democracy, and the release of all political prisoners.
The United Kingdom would like to refer to interventions elsewhere on Myanmar, Syria, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, and Burundi.
Thank you, Madam President.