China is global threat to individual freedoms, says new Human Rights Watch report
- Group’s executive director had been scheduled to unveil the report in Hong Kong but was barred from entering at the airport on Sunday
- Other governments, including the US and UK, are criticised for not finding ‘a common voice’ on China’s repression
The Chinese government fears “people’s desire for democracy” and its repression of human rights is “an existential threat to the world”, the investigative and advocacy group Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday at the launch of its World Report 2020 in New York.
“We’d hoped to hold this event in Hong Kong, but Chinese government had a different idea,” Roth said on Tuesday at the United Nations headquarters.
“Beijing claimed the report had instigated the Hong Kong people’s movement for democracy,” Roth said. “The stance by Beijing is insulting to Hong Kong. It shows Chinese government’s fear of people’s desire for democracy.”
This year’s report, a 652-page review of human rights practices in nearly 100 countries, focused on the Chinese government’s role in the world.
