EU Statement - HRC60 - Item 4, General debate on human rights situ... 5 of 8 https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/un-geneva/eu-statement-hrc60... internet shutdown in Iran in June 2025. We urge Iran to ensure unrestricted access to information and to uphold all civic freedoms. The EU is gravely concerned by the new wave of arrests, which started in June 2025, and the ongoing harassment and reprisals targeting dissidents, persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities, human rights defenders both within Iran and through transnational repression, including on EU soil, and other categories of individuals. The EU is also concerned by the deportations of Afghan citizens. We call on Iran to provide due process and fair trial guarantees for all detainees. The EU demands the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained citizens in Iran, including EU citizens and dual nationals and calls on the Iranian authorities to end the distressing practice of detaining foreign citizens with a view to make political gains. The EU also urges Iran to abide by its obligations under the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The EU calls upon Iran to implement all relevant international treaties to which it is a party. We reiterate our call to Iran to allow free and unhindered access to the country for relevant UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures mandate holders and to fully cooperate with the independent, international Fact Finding Mission. We reiterate our concerns about the very serious human rights situation in China. We urge China to abide by its obligations under national law, including its own Constitution, and international law, to respect, protect and fulfil the rule of law and human rights for all. We also urge China to abolish the death penalty and as a first step to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty, 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 at transnational level. China must respect the principle of non-refoulement and refrain from extraterritorial activities (including coercion) that are not in line with international law. We condemn all reprisals against individuals and/or civil society organizations. 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 Government of China and UN bodies and the human rights system. We remain concerned about political re-education camps, mass arbitrary detentions, 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 reiterate the rights of persons belonging to religious groups to conduct their basic affairs without interference and freely choose their religious leaders. We remain concerned about the use of forced labour and labour transfer schemes, 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 21/10/2025, 12:35