Un Reports Possible Crimes Against Humanity In China S Xinjiang

The report calls for “urgent attention” from the UN and the global community to rights abuses in Beijing’s campaign to stamp out terrorism. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, facing pressure from both sides of the issue, rejected multiple Chinese calls for her office to withhold the report, which follows her own carefully planned trip to Xinjiang in May. Beijing has argued that the report is part of a Western campaign to tarnish China’s reputation. The report has sparked a tug-of-war for diplomatic influence with the West over the rights of the region’s indigenous Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. The report, which Western diplomats and UN officials said had been ready for months, was published just minutes into Bachelet’s four-year term. It was unexpected to break significant new ground beyond sweeping findings from independent advocacy groups and journalists who have documented human rights concerns in Xinjiang for years. However, the office’s report is accompanied by the authority of the United Nations and the countries – notably including the rising power of China itself – that make it up. The report largely confirms earlier reports from advocacy groups and others, and puts the weight of the UN behind the outrage that victims and their families have expressed over Chinese policies in Xinjiang for years. “Beijing’s repeated denial of the human rights crisis in Xinjiang rings increasingly hollow with this further recognition of evidence of ongoing crimes against humanity and other human rights abuses in the region,” said Agnes Callamard, secretary-general. of Amnesty International. statement. The period leading up to the report’s release sparked a debate over China’s influence at the world body and epitomized the diplomatic chill between Beijing and the West over human rights, among other sore spots. The 48-page report says “serious human rights violations” have been committed in Xinjiang under China’s counter-terrorism and extremism policies, which have singled out Uyghurs and other mainly Muslim communities, between 2017 and 2019. The report cited “patterns of torture” inside what Beijing called business centers, which were part of its vaunted plan to boost economic development in the region, and highlighted “credible” allegations of torture or ill-treatment, including cases of sexual violence. Above all, perhaps, the report warns that the “arbitrary and discriminatory detention” of such groups in Xinjiang, through moves that have deprived them of “fundamental rights … may constitute international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity.” The report was drawn in part from interviews with former inmates and others familiar with conditions at eight separate detention centers in the region. Its authors suggest that China has not always been forthcoming with information, saying that requests for some specific sets of information “did not receive an official response.” The rights office said it could not confirm estimates of how many people were held in detention camps in Xinjiang, but added that it was “reasonable to conclude that there has been a pattern of large-scale arbitrary detention” between at least 2017 and 2019. According to information gathered in investigations by other rights monitors and journalists, the Chinese government’s mass detention campaign in Xinjiang has swept an estimated one million Uyghurs and other ethnic groups into a network of prisons and camps over the past five years. Beijing has closed many of the camps, but hundreds of thousands continue to languish in prison on vague, secret charges. Beyond the camps, the report also looked at reports of sharp increases in arrests and long prison sentences in the region, saying they strongly suggested a shift towards formal imprisonment as the main means of large-scale incarceration and deprivation of liberty — rather than the use of ” business centers’ once touted by Beijing. “This is of particular concern given the vague and wide-ranging definitions of terrorism, ‘extremism’ and public security-related offenses under national criminal law,” the report said, saying it could lead to lengthy sentences, “including for minor offenses or for engaging in conduct protected by international human rights law.” China hit back, saying the UN rights office had ignored human rights “achievements” made jointly by “people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang”. “Based on misinformation and lies manufactured by anti-Chinese forces and presumption of guilt, the so-called ‘assessment’ distorts China’s laws, unfairly defames and slanders China, and interferes in China’s internal affairs,” her letter said. China. the diplomatic mission in Geneva issued in response to the UN report. Some countries, including the United States, have accused Beijing of committing genocide in Xinjiang. The UN report made no mention of genocide. Bachelet has said in recent months that she has come under pressure from both sides to publish — or not to publish — the report and resisted all, noting her experience with political pressure during her two terms as Chile’s president. In June, Bachelet said she would not seek a new term as rights chief and promised the report would be made public by her August 31 departure date. This led to a swell of back-channel campaigns — including letters from civil society, citizens and governments on both sides of the issue. Last week she hinted that her office might miss her deadline, saying it was “trying” to fire her before her exit. Bachelet had targeted Xinjiang when she took office in September 2018, but Western diplomats have privately raised concerns that during her tenure she did not challenge China enough when other rights monitors had alleged abuses against Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang. In a statement from her office early Thursday, Bachelet said she wanted to pay “greater care” to address the responses and input she received from the Chinese government last week. Such reports are usually shared with the country concerned before final publication, but generally to check the facts — not to allow the final report to be controlled or influenced. “I said I would publish it before the end of my term and I have,” she said after the report was published minutes before her term ended. Critics had said the failure to publish the report would be a glaring black mark on her tenure, and pressure from some countries made her job more difficult. “To be perfectly honest, the politicization of these serious human rights issues by some states has not helped,” said Bachelet, who had early expressed a desire to work with governments. “I call on the international community not to instrumentalize real, serious human rights issues for political purposes, but to work to support efforts to strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights,” he added. Her trip to the region in May was widely criticized by human rights groups, the US government and other governments as a PR exercise for China. Hours before publication, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief had “no involvement” in the way the report was drafted or handled, citing his commitment to Bachelet’s independence. Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said “Bachelet’s damning findings explain why the Chinese government fought tooth and nail to prevent the publication of her report on Xinjiang, which reveals sweeping rights abuses of China”. Richardson urged the 47-member Human Rights Council, whose next meeting is in September, to investigate the allegations and hold those responsible accountable.

Lederer reported from the United Nations. Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

title: “Un Reports Possible Crimes Against Humanity In China S Xinjiang Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-09” author: “William Philbrook”

The report calls for “urgent attention” from the UN and the global community to rights abuses in Beijing’s campaign to stamp out terrorism. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, facing pressure from both sides of the issue, rejected multiple Chinese calls for her office to withhold the report, which follows her own carefully planned trip to Xinjiang in May. Beijing has argued that the report is part of a Western campaign to tarnish China’s reputation. The report has sparked a tug-of-war for diplomatic influence with the West over the rights of the region’s indigenous Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. The report, which Western diplomats and UN officials said had been ready for months, was published just minutes into Bachelet’s four-year term. It was unexpected to break significant new ground beyond sweeping findings from independent advocacy groups and journalists who have documented human rights concerns in Xinjiang for years. However, the office’s report is accompanied by the authority of the United Nations and the countries – notably including the rising power of China itself – that make it up. The report largely confirms earlier reports from advocacy groups and others, and puts the weight of the UN behind the outrage that victims and their families have expressed over Chinese policies in Xinjiang for years. “Beijing’s repeated denial of the human rights crisis in Xinjiang rings increasingly hollow with this further recognition of evidence of ongoing crimes against humanity and other human rights abuses in the region,” said Agnes Callamard, secretary-general. of Amnesty International. statement. The period leading up to the report’s release sparked a debate over China’s influence at the world body and epitomized the diplomatic chill between Beijing and the West over human rights, among other sore spots. The 48-page report says “serious human rights violations” have been committed in Xinjiang under China’s counter-terrorism and extremism policies, which have singled out Uyghurs and other mainly Muslim communities, between 2017 and 2019. The report cited “patterns of torture” inside what Beijing called business centers, which were part of its vaunted plan to boost economic development in the region, and highlighted “credible” allegations of torture or ill-treatment, including cases of sexual violence. Above all, perhaps, the report warns that the “arbitrary and discriminatory detention” of such groups in Xinjiang, through moves that have deprived them of “fundamental rights … may constitute international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity.” The report was drawn in part from interviews with former inmates and others familiar with conditions at eight separate detention centers in the region. Its authors suggest that China has not always been forthcoming with information, saying that requests for some specific sets of information “did not receive an official response.” The rights office said it could not confirm estimates of how many people were held in detention camps in Xinjiang, but added that it was “reasonable to conclude that there has been a pattern of large-scale arbitrary detention” between at least 2017 and 2019. According to information gathered in investigations by other rights monitors and journalists, the Chinese government’s mass detention campaign in Xinjiang has swept an estimated one million Uyghurs and other ethnic groups into a network of prisons and camps over the past five years. Beijing has closed many of the camps, but hundreds of thousands continue to languish in prison on vague, secret charges. Beyond the camps, the report also looked at reports of sharp increases in arrests and long prison sentences in the region, saying they strongly suggested a shift towards formal imprisonment as the main means of large-scale incarceration and deprivation of liberty — rather than the use of ” business centers’ once touted by Beijing. “This is of particular concern given the vague and wide-ranging definitions of terrorism, ‘extremism’ and public security-related offenses under national criminal law,” the report said, saying it could lead to lengthy sentences, “including for minor offenses or for engaging in conduct protected by international human rights law.” China hit back, saying the UN rights office had ignored human rights “achievements” made jointly by “people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang”. “Based on misinformation and lies manufactured by anti-Chinese forces and presumption of guilt, the so-called ‘assessment’ distorts China’s laws, unfairly defames and slanders China, and interferes in China’s internal affairs,” her letter said. China. the diplomatic mission in Geneva issued in response to the UN report. Some countries, including the United States, have accused Beijing of committing genocide in Xinjiang. The UN report made no mention of genocide. Bachelet has said in recent months that she has come under pressure from both sides to publish — or not to publish — the report and resisted all, noting her experience with political pressure during her two terms as Chile’s president. In June, Bachelet said she would not seek a new term as rights chief and promised the report would be made public by her August 31 departure date. This led to a swell of back-channel campaigns — including letters from civil society, citizens and governments on both sides of the issue. Last week she hinted that her office might miss her deadline, saying it was “trying” to fire her before her exit. Bachelet had targeted Xinjiang when she took office in September 2018, but Western diplomats have privately raised concerns that during her tenure she did not challenge China enough when other rights monitors had alleged abuses against Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang. In a statement from her office early Thursday, Bachelet said she wanted to pay “greater care” to address the responses and input she received from the Chinese government last week. Such reports are usually shared with the country concerned before final publication, but generally to check the facts — not to allow the final report to be controlled or influenced. “I said I would publish it before the end of my term and I have,” she said after the report was published minutes before her term ended. Critics had said the failure to publish the report would be a glaring black mark on her tenure, and pressure from some countries made her job more difficult. “To be perfectly honest, the politicization of these serious human rights issues by some states has not helped,” said Bachelet, who had early expressed a desire to work with governments. “I call on the international community not to instrumentalize real, serious human rights issues for political purposes, but to work to support efforts to strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights,” he added. Her trip to the region in May was widely criticized by human rights groups, the US government and other governments as a PR exercise for China. Hours before publication, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief had “no involvement” in the way the report was drafted or handled, citing his commitment to Bachelet’s independence. Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said “Bachelet’s damning findings explain why the Chinese government fought tooth and nail to prevent the publication of her report on Xinjiang, which reveals sweeping rights abuses of China”. Richardson urged the 47-member Human Rights Council, whose next meeting is in September, to investigate the allegations and hold those responsible accountable.

Lederer reported from the United Nations. Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

title: “Un Reports Possible Crimes Against Humanity In China S Xinjiang Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-03” author: “Erlinda Young”

The report calls for “urgent attention” from the UN and the global community to rights abuses in Beijing’s campaign to stamp out terrorism. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, facing pressure from both sides of the issue, rejected multiple Chinese calls for her office to withhold the report, which follows her own carefully planned trip to Xinjiang in May. Beijing has argued that the report is part of a Western campaign to tarnish China’s reputation. The report has sparked a tug-of-war for diplomatic influence with the West over the rights of the region’s indigenous Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. The report, which Western diplomats and UN officials said had been ready for months, was published just minutes into Bachelet’s four-year term. It was unexpected to break significant new ground beyond sweeping findings from independent advocacy groups and journalists who have documented human rights concerns in Xinjiang for years. However, the office’s report is accompanied by the authority of the United Nations and the countries – notably including the rising power of China itself – that make it up. The report largely confirms earlier reports from advocacy groups and others, and puts the weight of the UN behind the outrage that victims and their families have expressed over Chinese policies in Xinjiang for years. “Beijing’s repeated denial of the human rights crisis in Xinjiang rings increasingly hollow with this further recognition of evidence of ongoing crimes against humanity and other human rights abuses in the region,” said Agnes Callamard, secretary-general. of Amnesty International. statement. The period leading up to the report’s release sparked a debate over China’s influence at the world body and epitomized the diplomatic chill between Beijing and the West over human rights, among other sore spots. The 48-page report says “serious human rights violations” have been committed in Xinjiang under China’s counter-terrorism and extremism policies, which have singled out Uyghurs and other mainly Muslim communities, between 2017 and 2019. The report cited “patterns of torture” inside what Beijing called business centers, which were part of its vaunted plan to boost economic development in the region, and highlighted “credible” allegations of torture or ill-treatment, including cases of sexual violence. Above all, perhaps, the report warns that the “arbitrary and discriminatory detention” of such groups in Xinjiang, through moves that have deprived them of “fundamental rights … may constitute international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity.” The report was drawn in part from interviews with former inmates and others familiar with conditions at eight separate detention centers in the region. Its authors suggest that China has not always been forthcoming with information, saying that requests for some specific sets of information “did not receive an official response.” The rights office said it could not confirm estimates of how many people were held in detention camps in Xinjiang, but added that it was “reasonable to conclude that there has been a pattern of large-scale arbitrary detention” between at least 2017 and 2019. According to information gathered in investigations by other rights monitors and journalists, the Chinese government’s mass detention campaign in Xinjiang has swept an estimated one million Uyghurs and other ethnic groups into a network of prisons and camps over the past five years. Beijing has closed many of the camps, but hundreds of thousands continue to languish in prison on vague, secret charges. Beyond the camps, the report also looked at reports of sharp increases in arrests and long prison sentences in the region, saying they strongly suggested a shift towards formal imprisonment as the main means of large-scale incarceration and deprivation of liberty — rather than the use of ” business centers’ once touted by Beijing. “This is of particular concern given the vague and wide-ranging definitions of terrorism, ‘extremism’ and public security-related offenses under national criminal law,” the report said, saying it could lead to lengthy sentences, “including for minor offenses or for engaging in conduct protected by international human rights law.” China hit back, saying the UN rights office had ignored human rights “achievements” made jointly by “people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang”. “Based on misinformation and lies manufactured by anti-Chinese forces and presumption of guilt, the so-called ‘assessment’ distorts China’s laws, unfairly defames and slanders China, and interferes in China’s internal affairs,” her letter said. China. the diplomatic mission in Geneva issued in response to the UN report. Some countries, including the United States, have accused Beijing of committing genocide in Xinjiang. The UN report made no mention of genocide. Bachelet has said in recent months that she has come under pressure from both sides to publish — or not to publish — the report and resisted all, noting her experience with political pressure during her two terms as Chile’s president. In June, Bachelet said she would not seek a new term as rights chief and promised the report would be made public by her August 31 departure date. This led to a swell of back-channel campaigns — including letters from civil society, citizens and governments on both sides of the issue. Last week she hinted that her office might miss her deadline, saying it was “trying” to fire her before her exit. Bachelet had targeted Xinjiang when she took office in September 2018, but Western diplomats have privately raised concerns that during her tenure she did not challenge China enough when other rights monitors had alleged abuses against Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang. In a statement from her office early Thursday, Bachelet said she wanted to pay “greater care” to address the responses and input she received from the Chinese government last week. Such reports are usually shared with the country concerned before final publication, but generally to check the facts — not to allow the final report to be controlled or influenced. “I said I would publish it before the end of my term and I have,” she said after the report was published minutes before her term ended. Critics had said the failure to publish the report would be a glaring black mark on her tenure, and pressure from some countries made her job more difficult. “To be perfectly honest, the politicization of these serious human rights issues by some states has not helped,” said Bachelet, who had early expressed a desire to work with governments. “I call on the international community not to instrumentalize real, serious human rights issues for political purposes, but to work to support efforts to strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights,” he added. Her trip to the region in May was widely criticized by human rights groups, the US government and other governments as a PR exercise for China. Hours before publication, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief had “no involvement” in the way the report was drafted or handled, citing his commitment to Bachelet’s independence. Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said “Bachelet’s damning findings explain why the Chinese government fought tooth and nail to prevent the publication of her report on Xinjiang, which reveals sweeping rights abuses of China”. Richardson urged the 47-member Human Rights Council, whose next meeting is in September, to investigate the allegations and hold those responsible accountable.

Lederer reported from the United Nations. Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.

title: “Un Reports Possible Crimes Against Humanity In China S Xinjiang Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-17” author: “David Gant”

The report calls for “urgent attention” from the UN and the global community to rights abuses in Beijing’s campaign to stamp out terrorism. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, facing pressure from both sides of the issue, rejected multiple Chinese calls for her office to withhold the report, which follows her own carefully planned trip to Xinjiang in May. Beijing has argued that the report is part of a Western campaign to tarnish China’s reputation. The report has sparked a tug-of-war for diplomatic influence with the West over the rights of the region’s indigenous Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. The report, which Western diplomats and UN officials said had been ready for months, was published just minutes into Bachelet’s four-year term. It was unexpected to break significant new ground beyond sweeping findings from independent advocacy groups and journalists who have documented human rights concerns in Xinjiang for years. However, the office’s report is accompanied by the authority of the United Nations and the countries – notably including the rising power of China itself – that make it up. The report largely confirms earlier reports from advocacy groups and others, and puts the weight of the UN behind the outrage that victims and their families have expressed over Chinese policies in Xinjiang for years. “Beijing’s repeated denial of the human rights crisis in Xinjiang rings increasingly hollow with this further recognition of evidence of ongoing crimes against humanity and other human rights abuses in the region,” said Agnes Callamard, secretary-general. of Amnesty International. statement. The period leading up to the report’s release sparked a debate over China’s influence at the world body and epitomized the diplomatic chill between Beijing and the West over human rights, among other sore spots. The 48-page report says “serious human rights violations” have been committed in Xinjiang under China’s counter-terrorism and extremism policies, which have singled out Uyghurs and other mainly Muslim communities, between 2017 and 2019. The report cited “patterns of torture” inside what Beijing called business centers, which were part of its vaunted plan to boost economic development in the region, and highlighted “credible” allegations of torture or ill-treatment, including cases of sexual violence. Above all, perhaps, the report warns that the “arbitrary and discriminatory detention” of such groups in Xinjiang, through moves that have deprived them of “fundamental rights … may constitute international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity.” The report was drawn in part from interviews with former inmates and others familiar with conditions at eight separate detention centers in the region. Its authors suggest that China has not always been forthcoming with information, saying that requests for some specific sets of information “did not receive an official response.” The rights office said it could not confirm estimates of how many people were held in detention camps in Xinjiang, but added that it was “reasonable to conclude that there has been a pattern of large-scale arbitrary detention” between at least 2017 and 2019. According to information gathered in investigations by other rights monitors and journalists, the Chinese government’s mass detention campaign in Xinjiang has swept an estimated one million Uyghurs and other ethnic groups into a network of prisons and camps over the past five years. Beijing has closed many of the camps, but hundreds of thousands continue to languish in prison on vague, secret charges. Beyond the camps, the report also looked at reports of sharp increases in arrests and long prison sentences in the region, saying they strongly suggested a shift towards formal imprisonment as the main means of large-scale incarceration and deprivation of liberty — rather than the use of ” business centers’ once touted by Beijing. “This is of particular concern given the vague and wide-ranging definitions of terrorism, ‘extremism’ and public security-related offenses under national criminal law,” the report said, saying it could lead to lengthy sentences, “including for minor offenses or for engaging in conduct protected by international human rights law.” China hit back, saying the UN rights office had ignored human rights “achievements” made jointly by “people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang”. “Based on misinformation and lies manufactured by anti-Chinese forces and presumption of guilt, the so-called ‘assessment’ distorts China’s laws, unfairly defames and slanders China, and interferes in China’s internal affairs,” her letter said. China. the diplomatic mission in Geneva issued in response to the UN report. Some countries, including the United States, have accused Beijing of committing genocide in Xinjiang. The UN report made no mention of genocide. Bachelet has said in recent months that she has come under pressure from both sides to publish — or not to publish — the report and resisted all, noting her experience with political pressure during her two terms as Chile’s president. In June, Bachelet said she would not seek a new term as rights chief and promised the report would be made public by her August 31 departure date. This led to a swell of back-channel campaigns — including letters from civil society, citizens and governments on both sides of the issue. Last week she hinted that her office might miss her deadline, saying it was “trying” to fire her before her exit. Bachelet had targeted Xinjiang when she took office in September 2018, but Western diplomats have privately raised concerns that during her tenure she did not challenge China enough when other rights monitors had alleged abuses against Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang. In a statement from her office early Thursday, Bachelet said she wanted to pay “greater care” to address the responses and input she received from the Chinese government last week. Such reports are usually shared with the country concerned before final publication, but generally to check the facts — not to allow the final report to be controlled or influenced. “I said I would publish it before the end of my term and I have,” she said after the report was published minutes before her term ended. Critics had said the failure to publish the report would be a glaring black mark on her tenure, and pressure from some countries made her job more difficult. “To be perfectly honest, the politicization of these serious human rights issues by some states has not helped,” said Bachelet, who had early expressed a desire to work with governments. “I call on the international community not to instrumentalize real, serious human rights issues for political purposes, but to work to support efforts to strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights,” he added. Her trip to the region in May was widely criticized by human rights groups, the US government and other governments as a PR exercise for China. Hours before publication, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief had “no involvement” in the way the report was drafted or handled, citing his commitment to Bachelet’s independence. Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said “Bachelet’s damning findings explain why the Chinese government fought tooth and nail to prevent the publication of her report on Xinjiang, which reveals sweeping rights abuses of China”. Richardson urged the 47-member Human Rights Council, whose next meeting is in September, to investigate the allegations and hold those responsible accountable.

Lederer reported from the United Nations. Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.