Activists urge deep scrutiny of China at UN human rights gathering

Activists called for UN member states to pressure China this week to account for alleged human rights violations, including the suspected mass detention of one million Muslim Uygurs in far-western Xinjiang province.

China’s record will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, the first time since 2013, in a regular review expected to focus on its treatment of ethnic minorities, especially Uygurs and Tibetans.

China says Xinjiang faces a threat from Islamist militants and separatists. It rejects all accusations of mistreatment in an area where hundreds have been killed in unrest between Uygurs and members of the ethnic Han Chinese majority.

While denying the allegations of arbitrary detentions and political re-education across a network of secret camps, however, officials have recently said some citizens guilty of minor offences were being sent to vocational centres to provide employment opportunities.

Activists sharply criticised Beijing’s rights record.