UN Report Accuses China Of Human Rights Violations In Xinjiang

Topline

China’s detention of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in its northwestern region of Xinjiang may have amounted to international crimes—including “crimes against humanity”—according to a much-delayed United Nations report released on Thursday which has already triggered an angry response from Beijing.

Key Facts

In its report, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it found “serious human rights violations” in the Chinese government’s “counter-terrorism” strategies targeting Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang.

The investigation found China’s “anti-terrorism” laws to be “deeply problematic” on the human rights front as they offered broad power to government officials with very little independent oversight.

The report also raises concerns about “torture or ill-treatment” at detention camps—which China refers to as “Vocational Education and Training Centres”—but the OHCHR said it was not able to draw a firm conclusion about these abuses due to limited access to these facilities.

The report urges the Chinese government to investigate the alleged human rights violations at the detention camps and conduct a full review of the scope of its anti-terror laws.

The report also urges businesses to meet their human rights responsibility, a controversial issue as companies who have addressed the issues in Xinjiang have faced state media-driven boycotts in China.

The long-delayed report of the probe, which began in 2017, was published just before the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet completed her four-year term.

Crucial Quote

“The UN human rights chief for the first time lays bare the Chinese government’s grave abuses and concludes they may amount to crimes against humanity…Victims and their families whom the Chinese government has long vilified have at long last seen their persecution recognized, and can now look to the UN and its member states for action to hold those responsible accountable,” John Fisher, the global advocacy deputy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

Chief Critic

In its official response, China angrily dismissed the report, saying it was based on “disinformation and lies fabricated by anti-China forces.” Slamming the OHCHR’s “so-called assessment,” China’s response claims that it ignores its “human rights achievements” in Xinjiang and the “devastating damage” caused to the region by “terrorism and extremism.” The response also suggests that the report—which is in line with earlier findings by independent researchers, human rights groups and journalists— “undermines the credibility” of the UN body.

Key Background

The delay in releasing the report had led to intense criticism against Bachelet and her office from several governments and human rights groups who accused her of being lenient towards China. The UN’s scathing report, however, stops short of calling China’s actions in Xinjiang genocide, something several Western governments, including the U.S., have alleged. The Chinese government has been accused of arbitrarily detaining the predominantly Muslim ethnic groups of Xinjiang in camps where they reportedly face torture, forced labor and sexual abuse according to leaked documents and satellite images. These findings have prompted several western countries including the U.S., U.K., Canada and the European Union to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and businesses for their purported involvement in the abuses in Xinjiang.

Further Reading

China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, says U.N. (Reuters)

U.N. Outlines Possible Crimes Against Humanity in Xinjiang (Foreign Policy)