The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Chinese authorities to respect the fundamental rights of demonstrators to «peacefully» protest against the «draconian restrictions of the so-called ‘COVID Zero’ policy».
«Chinese authorities should not repress protests, but allow everyone to peacefully express their views,» said HRW China researcher Yaqiu Wang, adding that protesters face «extraordinary risks» in demanding the enforcement of human rights.
In this sense, he expressed that Beijing «has seriously underestimated the will» of the population in the Asian giant. «The people, with incredible courage, are showing the Chinese Communist Party and the world that they, like everyone else, have a say in how they are governed,» he said.
Since Friday, residents in China have organized several protests in different cities across the country over the measures imposed against the coronavirus under the so-called ‘COVID Zero’ policy implemented by Xi Jinping.
The protests erupted following a fire in the city of Urumqi, in the western region of Xinjiang, where at least 10 people died, allegedly due to the slow response of firefighters due to the restrictions against the coronavirus.
Chants for an end to the so-called ‘COVID Zero’ policy have also been joined by criticism of the Chinese authorities’ lack of transparency and their policy of repression of freedom of expression.
The images of the protests have left chants and slogans such as «Resign, Xi Jinping! Resign, Communist Party!» in the context of a growing social discontent while the Asian giant registers records of positive daily cases never seen since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The day before, an attack was reported against the journalist of the British BBC Edward Lawrence, who was «beaten and kicked by the police» before being detained, as denounced by the broadcasting corporation itself.
Amnesty International, as well as Human Rights Watch, already called on Sunday for the Chinese authorities to exercise restraint in the face of the protests unleashed in several parts of the country, including Beijing, Wuhan and Shanghai.
