(United Nations) Fifty states on Monday denounced “serious and systematic” human rights violations in Xinjiang to a UN General Assembly committee, calling on China to release “all individuals arbitrarily deprived of their freedom” in this region.
Posted at 5:02 p.m.
“We are deeply concerned about the human rights situation in the People’s Republic of China, in particular the violations of the rights of Uyghurs and other mainly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang”, said these countries in a text read by Canada during a session of the Third Committee of the General Assembly, which specializes in human rights.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations published a report at the end of August which evokes the possibility of crimes against humanity committed against the minorities of Xinjiang and in the first place the Uyghurs, evoking “credible evidence” of torture and sexual violence. Beijing rejects these accusations, claiming to fight terrorism and ensure the development of the region.
“Such serious and systematic human rights violations cannot be justified on the basis of counterterrorism,” the 50 states, including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Israel, said on Monday. Australia, Israel, Turkey, Guatemala and even Somalia.
They called on Beijing to “implement the recommendations” of the High Commission, which include “taking prompt measures to release all individuals arbitrarily deprived of their liberty in Xinjiang and urgently clarify the fate” of missing persons.
Given the “seriousness” of the report, “we are concerned that China has so far refused to discuss its findings”, they added.
China had managed to avoid a discussion on this report in October at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the majority of the 47 member states opposing a debate demanded by the United States and a dozen of ‘other countries.
The NGO Human Rights Watch on Monday called on the member states of this Council to “attempt again” to hold this debate “as soon as possible”.
“Clearly, the diplomatic momentum to hold Beijing responsible for its human rights violations is growing,” said Louis Charbonneau on the organization’s website, welcoming the declaration of the 50 countries, “the largest group of ‘states to publicly denounce human rights violations in Xinjiang’.