On the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the United Nations has elected China to its Economic and Social Council with an overwhelming 95% approval, sparking outrage from human rights advocates worldwide.
At a Glance
- China was elected to the UN Economic and Social Council on the exact anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre
- China received 180 votes (95% approval) alongside other controversial nations including Russia (61%) and Turkey (92%)
- Human Rights Watch has urged China to stop censorship of the Tiananmen events and hold perpetrators accountable
- UN Watch called the election “a moral outrage” that diminishes the credibility of the UN human rights system
- The Chinese government continues to ban all commemorations of the massacre and uses AI to censor references to it
UN Election Timing Draws Criticism
The United Nations General Assembly has elected China to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on June 4, 2025 – precisely 36 years after the Chinese government’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. The controversial timing has not gone unnoticed by human rights organizations who question the UN’s commitment to human rights principles. ECOSOC oversees the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, making China’s appointment particularly contentious given its ongoing human rights record.
China wasn’t alone in its controversial election. Russia received 115 votes (61%), Turkey won 174 votes (92%), Chad secured 183 votes (96%), and Burundi obtained 184 votes (97%). Thirteen other countries were also elected, including Lebanon, Mozambique, and Norway. The UN General Assembly made no mention of the Tiananmen Square anniversary during the voting process, despite the significant historical importance of the date.
As someone who formerly worked at @amnesty, it fills me with a degree of deep sadness to see Chow Hang-tung on an Amnesty poster. (We were friends when she was at Amnesty HK).
Few people worked harder (and with more respect) to assist Chinese people struggling for human rights. https://t.co/ldXLY8GMOn
— William Nee (@williamnee) June 3, 2024
Tiananmen Massacre: Continued Erasure
The events of June 4, 1989, when the Chinese military opened fire on peaceful pro-democracy protesters, remain censored within China. Human Rights Watch reports that the government has banned all commemorations nationwide and extended this prohibition to Hong Kong in 2021. Groups like the Tiananmen Mothers, who seek justice for their children killed during the massacre, face constant harassment and surveillance. Recent leaked documents reveal China’s use of artificial intelligence, directed by the Cyberspace Administration, to systematically censor any references to the massacre.
Despite this crackdown, the Hong Kong Democracy Council plans to hold “77 events in 40 cities in 10 countries” to commemorate the anniversary. These international events stand in stark contrast to the enforced silence within China’s borders, where even oblique references to the date can lead to detention. The Chinese government has never accepted responsibility for the killings nor held any officials accountable for ordering the military action against unarmed civilians.
Leeds, Guildford, Nottingham & Bristol will also hold rallies to mark the 4th anniversary of the start of the 2019-2020 #HongKong protests & continue the struggle for freedom & democracy. Pls join in where you can! pic.twitter.com/WKUQxQCsMP
— Hong Kong Democracy Council (@hkdc_us) June 7, 2023
UN Credibility Under Fire
UN Watch, a Geneva-based monitoring organization, has strongly condemned the election results. The organization expressed particular concern about placing nations with questionable human rights records in positions to oversee human rights standards. ECOSOC has the power to expel human rights groups from the UN, making the appointment of these nations especially problematic for advocacy organizations monitoring human rights abuses.
“It’s like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank,” Executive Director Hillel Neuer lamented. “Electing repressive regimes like China, Russia, and Turkey to a key UN council, which has the power to expel human rights groups from the UN, is a moral outrage, and shame on our democracies who were complicit.”
Beyond the Tiananmen anniversary, China faces ongoing scrutiny for human rights violations in Xinjiang, where the UN has documented evidence of state-sponsored forced labor targeting Uyghurs and other minority groups. Similar concerns have been raised about the situation in Tibet and the dismantling of democratic freedoms in Hong Kong. Human Rights Watch has called for China to respect freedom of expression and conduct an independent public inquiry into the Tiananmen Massacre, demands that appear increasingly unlikely to be met as China gains influence in international human rights bodies.
