Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 76

In commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 45 pro-democracy activists were sentenced to prison in Hong Kong. Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who had already served four years of her sentence, was detained again, Dong Yuyu, a former state media journalist has been sentenced to 7-year of imprisonment. Tsogon Tsering, a Tibetan environmental activist, has been sentenced in prison for sending public appeal against the illegal extraction of sand and gravel mining from a local river. With tens of thousands of prisoners of conscience and political prisoners under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), dozens of whom have been serving sentences for more than 20 years, their health deteriorating, at least dozens of prisoners die from torture every year, the cases are just the tip of the iceberg of human rights abuses by the CCP  rule. No one is safe under the CCP system.

Under the CCP's policy of “development” and “cultural nationalism,” so-called “autonomous regions” have been denied the right to study in their mother tongues and culture.  Tibetans, Uighurs, and Mongolians have been forced to sinicization and study CCP brainwashing doctrines. In addition to cultural genocide, minority groups face harsh repression. The long-term plundering of land and mineral resources in the Tibet, Uyghur region, southern Mongolia and elsewhere has caused large-scale environmental damage on the Tibetan Plateau and other places, affecting hundreds of millions of people in South Asia, Southeast Asia and China.

The CCP's repression of human rights and its obstruction of efforts to safeguard human rights have worsened human rights globally. We are all connected to each other in this world. No one is free until everyone is free. The basic principle of human rights is that human rights are above any authority, and true human rights are people’s sovereignty. By this principle, the CCP regime has neither legitimacy nor justification. Therefore, individuals, organisations, companies or governments that exchange profit/interest for human rights principles with the CCP are accomplices in the persecution.