UN calls on China to respect right to peaceful protests

Beijing, Nov 28: The United Nations (UN) on Monday urged China to respect the right to peaceful protests in the country. The UN also urged Chinese government not to detain people just for participating in the peaceful agitation, as Beijing tries to control the nationwide series of protests and demonstrations.

"We call on the authorities to respond to protests in line with international human rights laws and standards. No one should be arbitrarily detained for peacefully expressing their opinions," news agency AFP quoted UN Human Rights Office spokesman Jeremy Laurence as saying.

In a rare public protest against Chinese leadership, people protesting in China over the stringent COVID-19 restrictions were heard asking Chinese President 'Xi Jinping to step down in the videos which have gone viral on social media sites. More importantly, they are voices which are calling for "freedom of speech" and "democracy".

What's in the Clip?

In the viral clip, protestors chanted slogans against restrictions imposed by the Chinese government to curb the spread of Covid. They targeted the government with the slogans like "Step down the Communist Party" and " the Communist Party, Step down. Xi Jinping, step down," according to a video posted by DW News East Asia Correspondent William Yang on Twitter.

He posted several tweets over the Shanghai protest against the China government and said that countless people gathered on Urumqi Road and chanted slogans, "I don't want PCR test, I want freedom." In another tweet, William Yang said, people in 'Urumqi Road' also called for ending the lockdown in Xinjiang.

While the majority of the countries across the world have lifted Covid 19-related curbs, China has continued with its strict zero-Covid policy which has met with resentment among its population and sparked sporadic protests throughout the country. Residents in many cities have taken to street to vent their anger against the lockdowns and closures of businesses.

What triggered the fresh protests was a fire in a residential high-rise in Urumqi, where many residents have been placed under lockdown in which 10 people were killed.

with agency inputs