China human rights work: it’s emotionally draining, but country is the story of our lifetime, says Amnesty researcher
William Nee says there have been modest improvements in the country’s human rights record, but the road ahead remains long and daunting
China’s human rights record comes under constant international scrutiny, from harassment of democracy campaigners to freedom of religion to women’s rights.
In February last year the European Parliament condemned what it called human rights abuses in the country, and a month later a dozen governments led by the United States signed a statement denouncing China’s “deteriorating record” at the UN Human Rights Council.
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Despite improvements, the outlook for fundamental human rights under the leadership of President Xi Jinping has been described as “dire” in Amnesty International’s World Report 2017.
Founded in 1961, the London-based non-governmental organisation studies the human rights situation in more than 150 countries, and campaigns for compliance with international laws.
Their Hong Kong base is responsible for most of the organisation’s research and campaigning in East Asia.
William Nee is a China researcher at Amnesty, based in Hong Kong. He moved to the city in 2007, having worked on the mainland for rights NGO the China Labour Bulletin, before moving to Amnesty in 2014.