China rejects UN report on Uyghur rights abuses in Xinjiang, calls it ‘completely illegal, void’
UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet released a controversial long-delayed report that asserted that China may be guilty of “crimes against humanity” in its treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang.
The outgoing United Nations human rights chief said in a long-awaited report on Wednesday that China’s “arbitrary and discriminatory detention” of Uyghurs and other Muslims in its Xinjiang region may amount to crimes against humanity. Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who has been chastised by some diplomats and rights groups for being too soft on China, released the report just minutes before her four-year term expired. She went to China in May.
The U.N. Human Rights Office said in its 48-page report that “serious human rights violations have been committed” in Xinjiang “in the context of the government’s application of counter-terrorism and counter-‘extremism’ strategies”.
“The extent of arbitrary and discriminatory detention of members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups … may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity,” the U.N. office said.
It urged the Chinese government to take immediate action to release all those detained in training facilities, prisons, or detention facilities.
“There are credible indications of violations of reproductive rights through the coercive enforcement of family planning policies since 2017,” the office said.
🔴 NEW
The @UNHumanRights Office has issued its assessment of #HumanRights concerns in #Xinjiang, #China. It follows allegations of human rights violations against #Uyghurs brought to the attention of the @UN since 2017.
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— UN Human Rights Council (@UN_HRC) August 31, 2022
It added that a lack of government data “makes it difficult to draw conclusions on the full extent of current enforcement of these policies and associated violations of reproductive rights.”
