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Respect Uygur rights, 43 countries urge China at United Nations
- European and Asian member states among signatories of declaration accusing Beijing of human rights abuses in Xinjiang
- Chinese ambassador denounces move as lies and a plot to hurt China
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Forty-three countries have called on China to “ensure full respect for the rule of law” for the Muslim Uygur community in Xinjiang, in a statement read at the United Nations on Thursday that prompted outrage from Beijing.
The declaration, signed by the United States as well as several European and Asian member states and others, accused China of a litany of human rights violations against the Uygurs, including torture, forced sterilisation and forced disappearances.
“We call on China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and her office,” the countries said in a joint statement, read at the United Nations by France.
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“We are particularly concerned about the situation in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region,” the statement said, citing “credible” reports that “indicate the existence of a large network of ‘political reeducation’ camps where over a million people have been arbitrarily detained”.
02:06
Biden says G7 leaders agreed to call out China over human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong
Biden says G7 leaders agreed to call out China over human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong
Beijing has long denied accusations of ethnic cleansing against Uygurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic people in Xinjiang, where experts have estimated that more than one million people are incarcerated in camps.
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