Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently announced that he will visit China before the end of the year. As the Australian government attempts to “stabilise” the relationship with China, human rights must be at the centre of that relationship.
In October, representatives from communities impacted by China’s widespread human rights abuses are heading to Canberra to call for Albanese to publicly speak out in support of human rights while in China.
Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and Chinese dissidents face horrendous human rights abuses.
Uyghurs like Mamutjan, who hasn’t seen his wife and children since 2015, face years of separation from their families because of China’s crimes against humanity in Xinjiang. This year the UN raised alarm about the large-scale removal of Uyghur children from their families, including very young children whose parents are in exile or interned or detained.
Like Uyghurs, Tibetan children are separated from their parents as part of China’s assimilation policies. The UN has reported that around a million Tibetan children are in state-run boarding schools where they are cut off from their families, and their culture. Such policies are reminiscent of those of the colonial boarding school systems used to eliminate Indigenous identities in Canada, the US and, indeed, here in Australia. With lasting impacts of intergenerational trauma and disadvantage.
After protests swept Hong Kong in 2019, democracy activists have been imprisoned under the draconian National Security Law. Some are imprisoned simply for organising memorials commemorating the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
For decades, Chinese dissidents have been detained for speaking out in support of human rights. Today, democracy activists like Australian Dr Yang Hengjun are detained in horrendous conditions and face decades in prison. A few months ago, Dr Yang said he fears he will die in prison.
We have an opportunity to send a clear message to the Labor government that it cannot repeat past mistakes of successive Australian governments in sacrificing human rights on the altar of trade. Together, we can ensure that the stabilisation of the Australia-China relationship does not occur at the expense of human rights, and of these communities.
When the representatives visit Parliament they want to hand over thousands of signatures, calling for him to publicly speak out about the human rights of when he visits China. They want Albanese to know that thousands of Australians support them, and their communities.
We only have a few weeks to make a difference. We can help release people like Dr Yang from prison, and reunite Uyghur Australians like Mamutjan with their families.
Please, take action and call for Albanese to publicly raise human rights abuses while he is in China.