UN could move on Uyghur report without China approval
Rights groups claim that at least a million Uyghur Muslims have been subjected to abuses that meet the threshold of crimes against humanity in China’s Xinjiang province
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights hinted that she could move forward with an investigation into accusations of human rights violations against Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang province, even without China’s cooperation.
On Monday, Michele Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva: “I continue to discuss with China modalities for a visit, including meaningful access, to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and hope this can be achieved this year, particularly as reports of serious human rights violations continue to emerge”.
This was the first time that Ms Bachelet had set out an explicit timeline for the visit publicly, but added that she had other options, while she continued to pursue negotiations with China that have been ongoing since 2018.
“In the meantime,” she said, “the office continues to deepen its analysis and assessment of the alleged patterns of human rights violations in Xinjiang”.
In fact, the UN rights chief has the authority to remotely collect testimonies of abuses — without an invitation from the country concerned or a mandate from the council. Such probes have already investigated extra-judicial killings by security forces in Venezuela and the disputed Kashmir region.
Liu Yuyin, a spokesperson for the Chinese mission in Geneva, said that China welcomed a visit by Ms Bachelet, including to the Xinjiang region, but added that the visit should be a “friendly one,” aimed at “promoting exchanges and cooperation rather than making the so-called ‘investigation’ under the presumption of guilt”.
He also said that Ms Bachelet should “stop making erroneous remarks which interfere in China’s sovereignty”.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International both issued reports earlier this year that documented practices used against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province which they say meet the threshold for crimes against humanity.
The reports found that at least one million Uyghurs had been subjected to heinous abuse in the northwestern region, including mass arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances, mass surveillance, cultural and religious erasure, family separation, forced labour, sexual violence, and violations of reproductive rights.
China has consistently denied the reports and insists that it is simply running vocational training centres to combat religious extremism.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments