UN calls on China govt to respect right to peaceful protests
The UN requested the Chinese government to not detain or use force against the protestors in the country and to allow them to show their dissent in a peaceful manner.
Total Views | 82
Beijing, Nov 29: Amid the massive protests against the Chinese government, the United Nations urged China to respect the right to peaceful protests as the crackdown continued on the citizens. Hundreds of protestors demonstrated in cities across China against President Xi Jinping's zero-Covid strategy, with some of them even calling for his removal.
The UN requested the Chinese government to not detain or use force against the protestors in the country and to allow them to show their dissent in a peaceful manner. "We call on the authorities to respond to protests in line with international human rights laws and standards. No one should be arbitrarily detained for peacefully expressing their opinions," news agency AFP quoted UN Human Rights Office spokesman Jeremy Laurence as saying.
On the other hand, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General during a press briefing said, "Well, I don't have any particular comment on the COVID policies, but obviously, we've seen some of the video of demonstrations. And our reaction is the same one we have for the world over, is that we believe in the importance of people's right to peaceful assembly and association, their right to demonstrate peacefully, and urge the authorities to guarantee that right.
In the past few weeks, several parts of China have seen protests in response to the latest lockdowns imposed by the Chinese Communist Party as part of the “Zero Covid” policy. However, it got severe by an apartment block fire reported in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang province, which killed at least 10 people on Thursday and acted as an impetus for public protests.
By Sunday evening, on dozens of university campuses, students demonstrated or put up protest posters. Protests also spread to Chengdu, Guangzhou and Wuhan, where residents called for not only an end to Covid restrictions.
Students gathered on a square to protest against zero-Covid at Tsinghua University, in the capital city of Beijing. Images and videos making round on social media show students holding up sheets of white paper and shouting: "Democracy and rule of law! Freedom of expression!"
Bharati Web
Mes, Pune
Related News
