UK condemns China over human rights

12 April 2012

The UK has hit out at China's continuing "violation" of human rights in the wake of bloodshed in Tibet.

There has been a "disappointing" lack of progress towards a peaceful settlement in the disputed territory, and people are regularly "harassed" for their religious beliefs. More executions are also carried out in China than anywhere else in the world, and torture of prisoners is a "concern", according to the British Government.

The criticism comes in the Foreign Office's annual report on human rights, which also highlights problems in Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia and Iran.

The document says UK ministers and officials "regularly" raise a range of concerns with the Chinese authorities.

"Violations of human rights continue in Tibet," the report states. "We continue to make clear our view that the best way to improve the situation in Tibet is through meaningful dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama and his representatives, without pre-conditions, to achieve a long-term peaceful solution."

The Foreign Office says that after Saddam Hussein's departure, the "foundations are being laid" in Iraq for a society that respects human rights. However, it warns that "sectarian violence, lawlessness and violent insurgency" are "widespread".

Around two million Iraqis are displaced within the country, and a further two million have fled to nearby states, the report says.

Meanwhile, there has been "significant deterioration" in key human rights areas in Iran, with the regime "paranoid" about international criticism of its nuclear ambitions and economic mismanagement.

Russia has seen a "shrinking of the democratic space" over the past 18 months, according to the report, with restrictions placed on journalists and opposition parties, and xenophobia increasingly prevalent.

Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan are criticised for abuses of women's rights, while Pakistan made "little progress" during 2007 towards improving its record, amid a state of emergency declared by President Pervez Musharraf.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy notice .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in