Joint Statement on the Human Rights Situation in the United Kingdom at the General Debate of Agenda Item 4 at the 48th Session of the Human Rights Council
2021-09-24 00:47

(24 September 2021)

Madam President,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of a group of countries. We are deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the United Kingdom. Systemic racism and racial discrimination are deep-rooted in the UK. Hate speech, xenophobia and relevant violence are increasingly exacerbated. The living conditions of minorities in the UK continue to deteriorate. The UK has serious poverty, with one third of families that have children under the age of 5 living in poverty.

The UK has frequently conducted military interventions in other countries, causing numerous casualties of civilians and undermining the economic and social development of the countries intervened. The British military personnel committed serious crimes in their overseas military operations by arbitrarily killing innocent civilians and conducting torture, but the perpetrators have been shielded by the UK government. The UK imposes unilateral coercive measures arbitrarily, severely infringing on the human rights of the people in the relevant countries.

Turning a blind eye to its human rights violations and indulged in the mentality of colonialism, the UK is obsessed with fabricating and spreading disinformation, pointing fingers at others and interfering in others’ internal affairs to serve its own political agendas.

We urge the UK to face up to its own problems, put an end to all human rights violations and stop using human rights as a political tool. We call on the Human Rights Council and relevant Special Procedures to look into human rights violations in the UK and take necessary steps to monitor actions of the UK government to correct its mistakes.

Thank you, Madam President.

 

China, Belarus, DPRK, Eritrea, Russian Federation, South Sudan, Venezuela