UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet to visit Xinjiang in May after ‘recent’ agreement with Beijing
- Bachelet had been seeking access to the region since September 2018 over reports that up to a million Uygurs were being held in detention camps
- Beijing had earlier insisted that any inspection be ‘friendly’ in nature and be held off until after the Winter Olympics
United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet will visit China, including a trip to Xinjiang, after reaching an agreement with Beijing, she said on Tuesday.
“I am pleased to announce that we have recently reached an agreement with the government of China for a visit,” Bachelet said in a video address to the UN’s Human Rights Council, adding that the trip is expected to take place in May.
“The government has also accepted the visit of an advanced [Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights] team to prepare [for] my stay in China, including a visit to Xinjiang and other places. This team will depart for China next month,” Bachelet said.
The UN’s top human rights official has been negotiating with Beijing since September 2018 about a visit to Xinjiang, where some 1 million mainly Uygur Muslims are alleged to have been held in mass detention camps.
China has defended its policies in the region, saying they are designed to counter terrorism and extremism.