New York, Jan. 20 (SANA) China on Monday stressed that efforts to combat crimes against humanity must be carried out in line with the United Nations Charter and universally recognized principles of international law, warning against their use as a means to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
Speaking during the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity, Sun Lei, charge d’affaires of the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said that “crimes against humanity have in recent years been subjected to repeated political manipulation.”
Sun added that, “under the guise of combating crimes and protecting human rights, certain states have engaged in interference in other countries’ internal affairs and even resorted to armed aggression, gravely violating the spirit of the international rule of law,” according to the UN News Center.
He recommended that the draft articles of the convention on the prevention of crimes against humanity place greater emphasis on “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, the prohibition of the use or threat of force, non-interference in internal affairs, and other principles of international law.”
Sun further stressed that international cooperation in combating crimes against humanity should respect differences in national legal systems and circumstances, calling for flexibility and inclusiveness on contentious issues and full respect for national legal systems and discretionary powers.
