China rights monitors suspend work, lay off staff after U.S. aid freeze

Source: Reuters

China rights monitors suspend work, lay off staff after U.S. aid freeze

Laurie Chen
Fri, February 14, 2025 at 2:53 AM EST 4 min read

BEIJING (Reuters) - Dozens of non-government groups monitoring dissent, human and labour rights in China have laid off staff after being forced to suspend work following a freeze on foreign aid by U.S. President Donald Trump, the monitors say.

The groups are key to documenting a years-long crackdown by President Xi Jinping on minorities, rights defenders and lawyers. Last year, the EU expressed concern about the "very serious" human rights situation in China, particularly its regions of Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.

"A lot of these NGOs were blindsided - they thought, because of U.S.-China competition, even if there are funding cuts, the China programmes will stay," said Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch.

"The suspension of U.S. funding for these causes will essentially deal a very heavy blow to global civil society."

Among the affected groups is U.S.-based Freedom House, ...

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