China and East Asia

China | Japan | Mongolia | North Korea | South Korea | Taiwan

In China, serious human rights violations continue to be committed. This includes torture, execution (in which China is world leader), excessive use of force in public order policing, repression of dissent and forced repatriation of  asylum seekers without recourse to a refugee determination procedure.  Foreign governments continue to fail in challenging China's disastrous human rights record, however, the recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Chinese human rights defender, Liu Xiaobo (right), may lead to some positive change in that regard.
 
East Asia sees continuing serious human rights abuses across the region. Freedom of expression is still significantly limited in South Korea.  In North Korea the government still fails to uphold its population's basic right to food and health care. Most East Asian governments, including Japan, continue to apply the death penalty.

Read more about the countries in this region in our 2011 Annual Report 

Further information

• North Korea: Implementing Recommendations to improve Human Rights (Open Letter) 4 October 2010
  
• Mongolia: Briefing to the Committee Against Torture 1 October 2010
  
• Japan urged to protect right to protest after anti-whaling activists convicted 7 September 2010