WASHINGTON (UNN) — A coalition of 15 countries issued a joint statement at the United Nations on Friday expressing “deep concerns” over ongoing human rights violations in China, with specific reference to abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities.

The statement was also posted by the U.S. Embassy in China on its official X account, an unusual public move inside a heavily censored information environment.

The countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Ukraine, and several European states, cited credible evidence of arbitrary detention, forced labor, widespread surveillance, and restrictions on religious and cultural expression.

According to the statement, Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, along with Tibetans, Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and others, have faced targeted repression. Governments raised concerns about mass detention facilities, family separations through state-run boarding schools, destruction of cultural sites, and reported torture.

The signatories also criticized ongoing repression in Hong Kong, including the dismantling of civil liberties and the issuing of arrest warrants and bounties for activists living abroad.

The joint statement said online and offline censorship in China continues to limit information access and punish individuals who challenge state narratives. It also cited growing incidents of transnational repression targeting journalists, human rights defenders, and lawyers.

The countries called on China to release all individuals detained for exercising fundamental freedoms and to comply with its obligations under international law. They also urged UN member states to press China to address “credible human rights violations” and support accountability efforts.

This statement was delivered on behalf of Albania, Australia, Czechia, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Palau, Paraguay, San Marino, Ukraine, the United States, and the United Kingdom.