A Chinese expert on Tuesday called for attention at the ongoing 54th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council to the possible use
of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights in some countries.
During an interactive dialogue with the Working Group on the use of mercenaries, Yang Kuan, an expert with the China Society for Human Rights Studies and a researcher from Beijing Institute of Technology, said that as the legal status of mercenaries is not clear, they often break the legal and moral bottom line and threaten international human rights in practice.
He noted that China adheres to the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989, and opposes the recruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries in war.
The Working Group stressed that the growing phenomenon of predatory mercenary recruitment requires urgent attention and solutions based on multilateral cooperation.
