Hillel Neuer wipes the floor with U.N. Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan in a U.N. debate after she threw the Uyghurs under the bus and declared that Xi Jinping is a victim of “illegal” Western sanctions. Her previous visits to Iran, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe embraced those regimes.
Read the video transcript below:
Hillel Neuer: Your office received a $200,000 gift from China. Do you think it brings honor to the U.N. when you then do videos and reports saying the Uyghurs are happy and that the victim is the Chinese government?
Alena Douhan: My country visit to the People’s Republic of China in May 2024 clearly demonstrated that human rights are affected by unilateral sanctions. Sanctions affected economic and social rights, although China was able to mitigate substantially the negative humanitarian impact. Sanctions against sectors of the economy in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region resulting in rising unemployment are contrary to international law. Designation of Chinese universities negatively affect the right to education. Sanctioning states shall lift, suspend or minimize all unilateral measures.
China: China welcomes the report by Special Rapporteur Douhan acting on invitation from China. UCM’s (Unilateral Coercive Measures) imposed by the United States and other countries against China are in violation of international law and have a negative impact on various human rights. Madam, the United States has a poor human rights record.
Venezuela: Venezuela has the honor to take the floor on behalf of the Group of Friends to Defend the UN Charter. UCM’s (Unilateral Coercive Measures) create and deepen crimes against humanity. The United States continues to trample on international law.
Islamic Republic of Iran: The Islamic Republic of Iran extends its appreciation to the rapporteur for her dedicated work and commitment. We fully endorse the rapporteur’s initiatives.
Russia: We’re grateful to Madame Douhan for the high quality analysis. We note that the flawed practice of UCM’s are in violation of fundamental human rights.
Cuba: We wish to commend the special rapporteur for the excellent work that she’s doing.
Belarus: We welcome the special rapporteur and thank her for her efforts.
Zimbabwe: We thank the special rapporteur for another well-articulated report.
Syria: We welcome the report by the special rapporteur and commend her activities to the full realization of human rights for all.
UNHRC Vice-President: I now give the floor to United Nations Watch.
Hillel Neuer: Ms. Douhan you are the first UN rapporteur to be allowed to visit Xinjiang. A great responsibility. Now, I just got off the phone with Rushan Abbas head of the Campaign for Uyghurs and it appears that ahead of your visit, you never attempted to contact her or any other Uyghur human rights activist. Is this true?
Today marks 2202 days since her innocent sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, was forcibly disappeared by Beijing. She suffers from multiple diseases. Now, you visited four Uyghur cities. Did you ask your hosts, whom your report commends, where they are holding Gulshan Abbas? Why not? You say that in China you met with non-governmental activists. Are you aware that in China there is no such thing? That the real human rights activists are in prison, like Wang Bingzhang? Did you ask to meet with him? Why not?
Ms. Douhan, as a human rights expert, why didn’t you mention that China is holding a million Uyghurs in camps, persecuted because of their religion and ethnicity? Why didn’t you mention they are being used for forced labor? Why are you fighting sanctions imposed on the enslaving companies by the U.S., EU, UK and Canada which only seek to end this oppression?
Now, according to UN report 49/82/ADD.1 your office received a $200,000 gift from China. Do you think it brings honor to the UN when you then do videos and reports saying the Uyghurs are happy and that the victim is the Chinese government? When you visited Iran, Syria Venezuela and Zimbabwe why did you likewise ignore millions of victims?
And instead you sided with their oppressors.
Thank you.
[Chamber goes silent as the UN deliberates.]
UNHRC Vice-President: I very much hope that we will enjoy the support of all participants to always use the utmost respect in their statements.
Alena Douhan: I would like to thank all the speakers who took the floor and I will start with the last accusation and I’m happy that it finally has been said publicly not in the social media distributing defamation and misinformation.
I request the relevant NGO to stop its defamation campaign and behave in accordance with the standards of non-governmental organizations acting within the UN The money which you have mentioned is not a gift. It is money coming to the Human Rights Council used under the full control of the Human Rights Council.
KEY FACTS ON DICTATORSHIPS FUNDING ALENA DOUHAN
- Alena Douhan’s office has received more earmarked funding by state donors than any other single rapporteur or independent expert. Over half of mandate holders receive no earmarked funding.
- Douhan received $1,075,000 since the start of her mandate, this was almost 30% more than the next most funded rapporteur, Siobhán Mullally.
- Douhan’s donations have exclusively come from China, Russia and Qatar. (By comparison, Mullally was funded by Germany, Spain and Switzerland.)
2020 UN Facts and Figures Report:
- Douhan’s office was the highest funded. She received $160,000 from China and $115,000 from Russia (Total: $275,000)
- 3 next highest funded single mandate holders:
- Siobhán Mullally received ~$45,000 from Germany and $150,000 from Switzerland (Total: $195,000)
- Gerard Quinn received ~$110,000 from Finland, $20,000 from South Korea, ~12,000 from Spain and $50,000 from Russia (Total: $192,000)
- Ahmed Shaheed received ~$189,000 from Norway
- Douhan was also given the most funding by states for general use. The only mandate given more was the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises – receiving ~$290,000 from Norway, German and Russia, all of which was reserved for the Forum on Business and Human Rights, the world’s largest annual gathering on the topic.
- Out of 50 single thematic mandate holders, 29 received no earmarked funding by donors through OHCHR (12 were country mandate holders)
2021 UN Facts and Figures Report:
- Douhan’s office received $200,000 from China, $150,000 from Russia and $25,000 from Qatar (Total: $375,000)
- Her total funding was higher than any other single mandate-holder.
- 3 next highest funded single mandate holders:
- Siobhán Mullally received ~$76,000 from Germany, ~$34,000 from Spain and $140,000 from Switzerland (Total: $250,000)
- Fionnuala Ni Aolain received $150,000 from Russia and $50,000 from Switzerland (Total: $200,000)
- Reem Alsalaem received $50,000 from South Korea, ~$34,000 from Spain and $50,000 from Switzerland (Total: ~$134,000)
2022 Facts and Figures Report:
- Douhan’s office received $200,000 from China and $25,000 from Qatar (Total: $225,000)
- Once again, she was the highest funded single rapporteur
- 3 next highest funded single mandate holders:
- Mullally $197,000 (Germany, Malta, Spain, Switzerland)
- Fakhri $165,000 (Switzerland)
- Morales $161,000 (China, Switzerland)
- Out of 52 single thematic mandate holders, 34 received no earmarked funding through OHCHR donors (13 were country mandate holders)
2023 Facts and Figures Report:
- Douhan received $200,000 from China
- Once again, Douhan was the highest state-funded single rapporteur
- 3 next highest state donor-funded single mandate holders:
- Siobhán Mullally received $196,000 (Germany, Spain, Switzerland)
- Michael Fakhri received $163,000 (Switzerland)
- Madi received $130,000 (China)
- Out of 52 single mandate holders, 28 received no earmarked funding through OHCHR donors (14 were country mandate holders)
