A day after China was elected to the Human Rights Council, the Chinese government spokesperson today boasted of the country’s “human rights achievements”.
Chinese government’s spokesperson Hua Chunying said, “China was again elected as a member of the Human Rights Council. This is a recognition of China’s human rights achievements. We thank all those countries which supported China and congratulate other elected members.”
Earlier on Tuesday, China was elected as a member of the Human Rights Council for 2021-2023. The Human Rights Council is a 47-member body affiliated to the United Nations. China’s election happened at the 75th meeting of the UN General Assembly.
China has faced criticism for its treatment of cultural, ethnic and religious minorities, and pro-democratic activists. Its election to the Human Rights Council has come at a time when China has received flak from global media and international organisations for its treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province and Tibetans in the Autonomous Tibet Region.
This is the fifth term election of China to the Human Rights Council. Its previous stints in the human rights body were 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2016.
On Tuesday, 15 countries were elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Several of them have been criticised by international agencies for their poor record of human rights. Besides China, these countries include Russia, Pakistan, Cuba and Uzbekistan.
Incidentally, Saudi Arabia, which received condemnation following the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi two years ago, failed to win a seat at the Human Rights Council.
Here is the complete list of countries elected to the Human Rights Council in Tuesday’s election: Bolivia, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, France, Gabon, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Senegal, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and the UK.