HRC63 - EU Statement - HRC63 Item 4 Human Rights Situations tha... 7 of 10 https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-geneva/hrc63-eu-statemen... both the Fact-Finding Mission and the Special Rapporteur. The EU deplores the loss of all civilian life in the context of the recent military escalation, and calls for de-escalation and maximum restraint, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and full respect of international law, including the principles of the United Nations Charter, and international humanitarian law as well as full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighbouring countries. We reiterate our concerns about the very serious human rights situation in China, including in Tibet, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. We urge China to abide by its obligations under national law, including its own Constitution, and international law, to respect, protect and fulfil human rights for all and to uphold the rule of law. We also urge China to abolish the death penalty and as a first step to introduce a moratorium on its use and to adopt rigorous and transparent procedures for reviewing capital sentences and reporting death penalty cases. Civil society continues to be exposed to harassment, intimidation and surveillance, including to transnational repression. China must respect the principle of non-refoulement and refrain from extraterritorial activities (including coercion) that are not in line with international law. We recall our concerns related to the new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which entered into force on 1 July 2026 and may further restrict the cultural, linguistic and religious rights of persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, and have extraterritorial effects. We condemn all reprisals against individuals and/or civil society organizations and we condemn the prosecution of persons belonging to ethnic or religious groups, including Falun Gong practitioners, in China as well as abroad. We reiterate the rights of persons belonging to religious groups to conduct their basic affairs without interference and freely choose their religious leaders. We call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of religion or belief. Numerous reports by UN Treaty Bodies and Special Rapporteurs, and in particular OHCHR’s assessment report on human rights in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, confirm that the human rights situation requires the urgent attention of the Chinese Government and UN bodies and the human rights system. We remain concerned about political re-education and mass arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, widespread surveillance, including Residential Surveillance in a Designated Location (RSDL), systemic and severe restrictions on the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion or belief. We urge the eradication of forced labour and labour transfer schemes. We remain concerned about reports on torture, forced abortion and sterilization, birth control and family separation policies, and sexual and gender-based violence, especially in Xinjiang. We urge China to cooperate effectively with the UN High Commissioner and his Office, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 22/09/2026, 16:14