The South African Human Rights Commission is joining the push for an independent investigation of the alleged mistreatment of African migrants in China, including forced testing, quarantining and “other inhuman treatment, due to the COVID-19 outbreak,” the independent group said in a statement this week:

“The Commission echoes the call by the African Union (AU) and the South African government in urging the relevant Chinese authorities to investigate these reports and take appropriate remedial measures. It also supports the call by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) on the African Group of Ambassadors in Beijing to engage the Chinese authorities with a view to ensuring that Africans are not subjected to any of the alleged violations of their rights or any other ill-treatment but are treated equally, with dignity and respect, and no differently from other human beings in China.”