Crimes Against Humanity Committed by Chinese Authorities
The Chinese government has been documented to commit extensive crimes against humanity against its own population, particularly targeting ethnic and religious minorities, political dissidents, human rights advocates, and civil society actors. Evidence compiled by international bodies and human rights organizations indicates large-scale abuses such as mass arbitrary detention, especially of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, who have been subjected to internment without due process, torture, forced labor, family separations, and systematic cultural erasure. Over one million people have been estimated to have been detained or imprisoned in Xinjiang, often on vague charges of "extremism," where accounts of torture, sexual abuse, and other degrading treatment are widespread. Furthermore, authorities have implemented pervasive surveillance, compelled ideological indoctrination, and destroyed religious and cultural sites, eroding minority identities. Repression extends to Tibetans, who face discrimination, forced relocations, assimilationist education policies, and restrictions on religious practices. In Hong Kong, the government has curtailed freedoms of expression, assembly, and the press using national security laws, leading to mass arrests of pro-democracy advocates and the dismantling of civil society organizations.
Beyond these minority groups, the Chinese authorities routinely criminalize peaceful dissent, detain human rights lawyers, silence journalists, and employ state security charges such as "subversion of state power" to imprison activists. Individuals and their families often suffer incommunicado detention, judicial harassment, exit bans, and retaliation—conditions exacerbated by the lack of an independent judiciary and due process. These actions constitute crimes against humanity, including imprisonment, enforced disappearance, torture, persecution on religious, ethnic, or political grounds, and other inhumane acts intentionally causing great suffering.
The Role of Mass Civic Resistance and the Need for Unity
Given the immense power and control exercised by the Chinese state apparatus, it falls upon the population—citizens, civil society, activists, and diaspora communities—to fight collectively for their rights using coordinated, peaceful resistance. Historically and globally, populations have countered authoritarian regimes by strengthening internal solidarity, leveraging grassroots mobilization, and creating alliances between legal professionals, advocacy groups, and international partners. In the Chinese case, it is paramount that these actors unite with a clear strategic objective: to pressure and ultimately compel the Chinese government to ratify and accede to the Rome Statute, thereby becoming a member state of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Mobilization can manifest as public awareness campaigns, legal education, and concerted advocacy to build public demand for accountability and international protection. Populations should amplify the narratives of victims, connect local resistance with global human rights movements, and work through civil society channels to spread knowledge about the ICC’s function, its benefits, and the path to membership. Diaspora communities and international supporters are especially valuable in lobbying foreign governments and multilateral institutions to raise the diplomatic costs of continued impunity by Chinese authorities.
Why Uniting Behind the ICC and the Rome Statute is Essential
The ICC derives its jurisdiction almost exclusively from the consent of states to the Rome Statute; it cannot unilaterally prosecute crimes committed in non-member states unless the United Nations Security Council refers a specific situation, which is unlikely given China’s veto power as a permanent member. As China is not a State Party, the ICC is legally barred from investigating or prosecuting most crimes committed within its territory or by Chinese nationals. Only in rare circumstances, such as if crimes cross borders into member states, can the ICC claim jurisdiction—otherwise, rampant abuses within China remain out of reach.
Thus, if the Chinese population does not pressure the government to join the ICC, the Court remains powerless to intervene, investigate, or hold perpetrators accountable for ongoing crimes against humanity. The critical step for protection, justice, and prevention of further suffering is national ratification of the Rome Statute, following which the ICC’s mechanisms can be activated. This requires mass civic engagement and persistent advocacy for change—without it, international law cannot operate, and impunity will prevail.
The Suffering Endured by the Population and What the ICC Could Do
The suffering caused by Chinese authorities is severe and multifaceted:
Arbitrary Detention and Torture: Uyghurs, Tibetans, and activists are arbitrarily detained without due process and subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, and indoctrination.
Forced Labor and Cultural Erasure: Forced labor programs displace entire communities and destroy indigenous languages, religious practices, and cultural heritage.
Family Separation and Enforced Disappearances: State policies have separated families across borders, disappeared petitioners and activists, and denied information on the fate of detainees.
Suppression of Freedom and Expression: Repressive laws have ended independent journalism, censored dissent, and criminalized peaceful protest throughout China and Hong Kong.
Systematic Discrimination: Ethnic and religious minorities, as well as women, LGBTI individuals, and labor activists, face institutionalized discrimination and state-sponsored violence.
Transnational Repression: The state targets critics beyond its borders, surveilling, harassing, and even abducting exiled activists.
If China were to join the ICC, the Court could intervene through its established legal and procedural mechanisms:
Initiate Investigations: The ICC Prosecutor could launch investigations into crimes against humanity, war crimes, or genocide perpetrated by Chinese authorities, provided they fall within the Court’s jurisdiction and timeframe.
Issue Arrest Warrants: Upon gathering sufficient evidence, the ICC could issue arrest warrants for individuals most responsible, regardless of their official capacity, including senior political or military leaders.
Conduct Fair Trials: The Court would conduct impartial trials, ensuring due process for the accused and participation of victims.
Provide Reparations: The ICC can order reparations to victims—including compensation, restitution, or rehabilitation—after convictions.
Deterrence and Prevention: By threatening prosecution and raising international scrutiny, the ICC can deter future violations and pressure national authorities to reform abusive laws and practices.
In sum, the presence of the ICC would fundamentally change the context in which Chinese authorities operate, making systematic abuses subject to international criminal accountability and offering a degree of independent protection for China’s most vulnerable communities.
The Urgent Need for Collective Action
The responsibility for enabling this protection, however, resides primarily with the Chinese population itself. Without domestic pressure to join the Rome Statute and empower the ICC, the international community’s ability to prevent, stop, or punish state crimes remains extremely limited. Through patient, courageous, and coordinated activism, the population can transform despair into collective action, force political reform, and secure not only justice for past suffering but also a safeguard for future generations.
Conclusion
China’s documented crimes against humanity will only come under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if the population mobilizes and insists that the government ratifies the Rome Statute and becomes an ICC member state. Only then can the ICC exercise its mandate to investigate, prosecute, and deter ongoing abuses. In this respect, the unity, advocacy, and resilience of the Chinese people are indispensable—not only to their own liberation from suffering but also to the broader cause of global justice and human rightscitationSourceIndex
