U.K. Calls for UN Action in China, Myanmar, Russia and Belarus

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will call on the United Nations to take action against “systemic” human rights violations in China, Myanmar, Russia and Belarus in a speech to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.

According to the Foreign Office, Raab will say the situation in China’s Xinjiang province is “beyond the pale”, and reported abuses -- including torture, forced labor and sterilization of women -- are taking place on an “industrial scale.”

Raab will call for the UN high commissioner for human rights to be given “urgent and unfettered access” to Xinjiang, the Foreign Office said in an emailed statement.

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It comes as the U.K. returns to the UN Human Rights Council, which is made up of 47 UN member states, as a voting member.

Raab will also highlight violations and abuses in Myanmar, including arbitrary detention and “draconian” restrictions on freedom of expression. He will call for the military in the Southeast Asian country to step aside and for civilian leaders to be released, the Foreign Office said.

On Russia, Raab will point to the “disgraceful” treatment of opposition leader Alexey Navalny and warn the country is “failing to meet its international obligations.” He will also declare a “human rights crisis” in Belarus following President Alexander Lukashenko’s “brutal crackdown” against protesters.

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