(Reuters) – The “arbitrary and discriminatory detention” of ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims in the Xinjiang region by the Chinese government could constitute crimes against humanity, UN human rights official Michelle Bachelet said at an anticipated meeting this Wednesday.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which has come under criticism from some diplomats and human rights groups for being too tolerant of China, released the report on Wednesday just minutes before the end of his four-year mandate. He visited China in May.
The comprehensive report says “serious human rights violations have been committed” in Xinjiang in the context of “executing the government’s strategies to combat terrorism and fight extremism.”
“The extent of arbitrary and discriminatory detention of ethnic Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim groups may constitute international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity,” the UN report said.
The former Chilean president has advised the Chinese government to take urgent steps to release all detainees in training centres, prisons or detention centres.
“Since 2017, there have been credible signs of reproductive rights violations through the implementation of family planning policies,” the report said.
The document also states that the lack of government data “makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the full extent of current implementation of these policies and related reproductive rights violations.”
Human rights groups accuse China of abusing the Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic minority, who number about 10 million in western Xinjiang, including forced labor in concentration camps.
(Reported by Shivani Tanna and Anna Maria Shibu in Bengaluru)
source: Noticias
