Ambassador Burns Statement for Human Rights Day 2024

Today the United States joins the international community in celebrating the 76th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which proclaims “a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want [. . .] as the highest aspiration of the common people.”  As we reflect on the meaning of this day, the United States reiterates its deep concern with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) failure to live up to its international commitments to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the UDHR.

We call on the PRC to halt its ongoing abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong and reiterate our deep concern about the PRC’s restrictions on fundamental freedoms and use of transnational repression.  The United States stands by Chinese citizens punished for defending human rights, standing up for human dignity, or simply expressing their beliefs or participating in their religious and cultural practices.  We continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Gulshan Abbas, Ekpar Asat, Rahile Dawut, Ding Jiaxi, Dong Yuyu, Gao Zhen, Go Sherab Gyatso, Gui Minhai, Guo Feixiong, Huang Xueqin, Jimmy Lai, Lu Siwei, Ilham Tohti, Wang Jianbing, Xu Yan, Xu Zhiyong, Yu Wensheng, Zhang Zhan, and all those who have been unjustly detained by the PRC.

The UDHR is clear:  The “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.”  We again call on the PRC to examine its human rights practices and uphold its international human rights obligations and the commitments it has made to its own people.