A Un Report On Human Rights In Xinjiang Is Expected On Wednesday After Long Delays

Comment A UN report on human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, released late Wednesday after months of unexplained delays, concludes that China’s actions “may” amount to international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity. UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s report came in the final minutes of her last day on the job and ended speculation that it may never be made public. The closely watched review had faced criticism from both human rights advocates, who worried it would whitewash state abuses, and Chinese officials, who insisted the investigation was politically motivated. and strongly opposed its circulation. “The UNHCR’s damning findings explain why the Chinese government fought tooth and nail to prevent the publication of the Xinjiang report, which reveals China’s sweeping rights abuses,” said Sophie Richardson, the Observatory’s China director. Of human rights. Richardson called on the UN Human Rights Council to launch a comprehensive investigation, guided by the report, into the Chinese government’s actions targeting Uyghurs and others — “and hold those responsible accountable.” The 46-page report examined many dimensions of a multi-year campaign and found evidence that “serious human rights violations” were committed under the guise of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. “The implementation of these strategies,” he concludes, “has led to interlocking patterns of severe and unjustified restrictions on a wide range of human rights.” The report found that mass detention in Xinjiang from 2017 to 2019 was “marked by patterns of torture”. There was also “serious evidence of violations of reproductive rights through the coercive and discriminatory enforcement of family planning and birth control policies.” Reports of sexual violence were “credible”. Chinese authorities should release all people who have been “arbitrarily deprived of their liberty,” the report said, and help people find information about missing family members. Bachelet visited Xinjiang, in northwest China, in May on a highly orchestrated six-day government tour that critics said did little more than hand officials a propaganda victory. At the end of the trip, Bachelet said she was unable to determine the scale of a re-education and incarceration program aimed at ethnic Uyghurs, stressing that the visit was “not research”. Addressing activists and relatives of imprisoned or disappeared Uighurs who had written to her office, she said: “I heard you.” Beijing opposed the release of the report, noting recently that hundreds of Chinese organizations in Xinjiang had sent letters to Bachelet’s office protesting the release of such an “unauthorized and untrue” assessment. UN human rights chief slams Uyghur supporters visiting China Despite testimony, public records, leaked government directives and police records, satellite images and visits to the area by diplomats and journalists that revealed the use of forced labor and the mass detention of an estimated 1 million to 2 million residents in re-education camps , Beijing claims its years-long campaign in Xinjiang is about fighting terrorism and alleviating poverty. It also denies or downplays evidence of children being separated from their parents, reports of depressed Uyghur birth rates, and evidence that Uyghur identity and culture are being curtailed. Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, called on the Office of the High Commissioner to “stand on the right side of history … and reject the publication of an assessment on Xinjiang based on false information and false accusations.” For China, the timing of the report is particularly sensitive: it comes less than two months before a major political meeting for the ruling Chinese Communist Party, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third term that would cement the precedent. position as the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. In recent years, China – a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council – has expanded its leverage at the United Nations, promoting an alternative version of human rights that is more in line with Communist Party doctrine. In 2018, Bachelet’s office announced it would investigate allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Last September, she said she had not secured substantive access to Xinjiang but that her office was “completing its assessment of available information on allegations of serious human rights violations in the region, with a view to making it public.” Finally visited in May. In the months that have passed, human rights experts and advocates have been waiting to hear more. Last week, Bachelet acknowledged she was under “enormous pressure to publish or not to publish” but said she would not be swayed. “We are trying very hard to do what I promised,” he told reporters in Geneva. “China, with its massive surveillance and technological capabilities, is inherently capable of hiding the truth from the international community,” said Raihan Asat, a human rights activist and Uighur lawyer interviewed for the report. “That’s why I think this report is so important. It sends a message to the Chinese government that it is not beyond control.” Some questioned the relevance of the report to existing data and China’s claims that re-education centers — “vocational training centers,” it calls them — have been closed. But rights groups say that even if the more serious parts of the campaign end, the situation should be rigorously investigated. “This does not change the fact that the Chinese government has committed crimes against humanity over the past five years,” said Richardson of Human Rights Watch. “This does not erase what has happened over the past five years and the urgent need for accountability.” Added Asat, “There must be accountability to break this cycle of impunity for powerful states.” Kuo reported from Taipei, Rauhala from Brussels.

title: “A Un Report On Human Rights In Xinjiang Is Expected On Wednesday After Long Delays Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-16” author: “Candice Domingue”

Comment A UN report on human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, released late Wednesday after months of unexplained delays, concludes that China’s actions “may” amount to international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity. UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s report came in the final minutes of her last day on the job and ended speculation that it may never be made public. The closely watched review had faced criticism from both human rights advocates, who worried it would whitewash state abuses, and Chinese officials, who insisted the investigation was politically motivated. and strongly opposed its circulation. “The UNHCR’s damning findings explain why the Chinese government fought tooth and nail to prevent the publication of the Xinjiang report, which reveals China’s sweeping rights abuses,” said Sophie Richardson, the Observatory’s China director. Of human rights. Richardson called on the UN Human Rights Council to launch a comprehensive investigation, guided by the report, into the Chinese government’s actions targeting Uyghurs and others — “and hold those responsible accountable.” The 46-page report examined many dimensions of a multi-year campaign and found evidence that “serious human rights violations” were committed under the guise of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. “The implementation of these strategies,” he concludes, “has led to interlocking patterns of severe and unjustified restrictions on a wide range of human rights.” The report found that mass detention in Xinjiang from 2017 to 2019 was “marked by patterns of torture”. There was also “serious evidence of violations of reproductive rights through the coercive and discriminatory enforcement of family planning and birth control policies.” Reports of sexual violence were “credible”. Chinese authorities should release all people who have been “arbitrarily deprived of their liberty,” the report said, and help people find information about missing family members. Bachelet visited Xinjiang, in northwest China, in May on a highly orchestrated six-day government tour that critics said did little more than hand officials a propaganda victory. At the end of the trip, Bachelet said she was unable to determine the scale of a re-education and incarceration program aimed at ethnic Uyghurs, stressing that the visit was “not research”. Addressing activists and relatives of imprisoned or disappeared Uighurs who had written to her office, she said: “I heard you.” Beijing opposed the release of the report, noting recently that hundreds of Chinese organizations in Xinjiang had sent letters to Bachelet’s office protesting the release of such an “unauthorized and untrue” assessment. UN human rights chief slams Uyghur supporters visiting China Despite testimony, public records, leaked government directives and police records, satellite images and visits to the area by diplomats and journalists that revealed the use of forced labor and the mass detention of an estimated 1 million to 2 million residents in re-education camps , Beijing claims its years-long campaign in Xinjiang is about fighting terrorism and alleviating poverty. It also denies or downplays evidence of children being separated from their parents, reports of depressed Uyghur birth rates, and evidence that Uyghur identity and culture are being curtailed. Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, called on the Office of the High Commissioner to “stand on the right side of history … and reject the publication of an assessment on Xinjiang based on false information and false accusations.” For China, the timing of the report is particularly sensitive: it comes less than two months before a major political meeting for the ruling Chinese Communist Party, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third term that would cement the precedent. position as the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. In recent years, China – a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council – has expanded its leverage at the United Nations, promoting an alternative version of human rights that is more in line with Communist Party doctrine. In 2018, Bachelet’s office announced it would investigate allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Last September, she said she had not secured substantive access to Xinjiang but that her office was “completing its assessment of available information on allegations of serious human rights violations in the region, with a view to making it public.” Finally visited in May. In the months that have passed, human rights experts and advocates have been waiting to hear more. Last week, Bachelet acknowledged she was under “enormous pressure to publish or not to publish” but said she would not be swayed. “We are trying very hard to do what I promised,” he told reporters in Geneva. “China, with its massive surveillance and technological capabilities, is inherently capable of hiding the truth from the international community,” said Raihan Asat, a human rights activist and Uighur lawyer interviewed for the report. “That’s why I think this report is so important. It sends a message to the Chinese government that it is not beyond control.” Some questioned the relevance of the report to existing data and China’s claims that re-education centers — “vocational training centers,” it calls them — have been closed. But rights groups say that even if the more serious parts of the campaign end, the situation should be rigorously investigated. “This does not change the fact that the Chinese government has committed crimes against humanity over the past five years,” said Richardson of Human Rights Watch. “This does not erase what has happened over the past five years and the urgent need for accountability.” Added Asat, “There must be accountability to break this cycle of impunity for powerful states.” Kuo reported from Taipei, Rauhala from Brussels.

title: “A Un Report On Human Rights In Xinjiang Is Expected On Wednesday After Long Delays Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-19” author: “George Pacheco”

Comment A UN report on human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, released late Wednesday after months of unexplained delays, concludes that China’s actions “may” amount to international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity. UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s report came in the final minutes of her last day on the job and ended speculation that it may never be made public. The closely watched review had faced criticism from both human rights advocates, who worried it would whitewash state abuses, and Chinese officials, who insisted the investigation was politically motivated. and strongly opposed its circulation. “The UNHCR’s damning findings explain why the Chinese government fought tooth and nail to prevent the publication of the Xinjiang report, which reveals China’s sweeping rights abuses,” said Sophie Richardson, the Observatory’s China director. Of human rights. Richardson called on the UN Human Rights Council to launch a comprehensive investigation, guided by the report, into the Chinese government’s actions targeting Uyghurs and others — “and hold those responsible accountable.” The 46-page report examined many dimensions of a multi-year campaign and found evidence that “serious human rights violations” were committed under the guise of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. “The implementation of these strategies,” he concludes, “has led to interlocking patterns of severe and unjustified restrictions on a wide range of human rights.” The report found that mass detention in Xinjiang from 2017 to 2019 was “marked by patterns of torture”. There was also “serious evidence of violations of reproductive rights through the coercive and discriminatory enforcement of family planning and birth control policies.” Reports of sexual violence were “credible”. Chinese authorities should release all people who have been “arbitrarily deprived of their liberty,” the report said, and help people find information about missing family members. Bachelet visited Xinjiang, in northwest China, in May on a highly orchestrated six-day government tour that critics said did little more than hand officials a propaganda victory. At the end of the trip, Bachelet said she was unable to determine the scale of a re-education and incarceration program aimed at ethnic Uyghurs, stressing that the visit was “not research”. Addressing activists and relatives of imprisoned or disappeared Uighurs who had written to her office, she said: “I heard you.” Beijing opposed the release of the report, noting recently that hundreds of Chinese organizations in Xinjiang had sent letters to Bachelet’s office protesting the release of such an “unauthorized and untrue” assessment. UN human rights chief slams Uyghur supporters visiting China Despite testimony, public records, leaked government directives and police records, satellite images and visits to the area by diplomats and journalists that revealed the use of forced labor and the mass detention of an estimated 1 million to 2 million residents in re-education camps , Beijing claims its years-long campaign in Xinjiang is about fighting terrorism and alleviating poverty. It also denies or downplays evidence of children being separated from their parents, reports of depressed Uyghur birth rates, and evidence that Uyghur identity and culture are being curtailed. Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, called on the Office of the High Commissioner to “stand on the right side of history … and reject the publication of an assessment on Xinjiang based on false information and false accusations.” For China, the timing of the report is particularly sensitive: it comes less than two months before a major political meeting for the ruling Chinese Communist Party, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third term that would cement the precedent. position as the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. In recent years, China – a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council – has expanded its leverage at the United Nations, promoting an alternative version of human rights that is more in line with Communist Party doctrine. In 2018, Bachelet’s office announced it would investigate allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Last September, she said she had not secured substantive access to Xinjiang but that her office was “completing its assessment of available information on allegations of serious human rights violations in the region, with a view to making it public.” Finally visited in May. In the months that have passed, human rights experts and advocates have been waiting to hear more. Last week, Bachelet acknowledged she was under “enormous pressure to publish or not to publish” but said she would not be swayed. “We are trying very hard to do what I promised,” he told reporters in Geneva. “China, with its massive surveillance and technological capabilities, is inherently capable of hiding the truth from the international community,” said Raihan Asat, a human rights activist and Uighur lawyer interviewed for the report. “That’s why I think this report is so important. It sends a message to the Chinese government that it is not beyond control.” Some questioned the relevance of the report to existing data and China’s claims that re-education centers — “vocational training centers,” it calls them — have been closed. But rights groups say that even if the more serious parts of the campaign end, the situation should be rigorously investigated. “This does not change the fact that the Chinese government has committed crimes against humanity over the past five years,” said Richardson of Human Rights Watch. “This does not erase what has happened over the past five years and the urgent need for accountability.” Added Asat, “There must be accountability to break this cycle of impunity for powerful states.” Kuo reported from Taipei, Rauhala from Brussels.

title: “A Un Report On Human Rights In Xinjiang Is Expected On Wednesday After Long Delays Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-23” author: “Johnie Hardy”

Comment A UN report on human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, released late Wednesday after months of unexplained delays, concludes that China’s actions “may” amount to international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity. UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s report came in the final minutes of her last day on the job and ended speculation that it may never be made public. The closely watched review had faced criticism from both human rights advocates, who worried it would whitewash state abuses, and Chinese officials, who insisted the investigation was politically motivated. and strongly opposed its circulation. “The UNHCR’s damning findings explain why the Chinese government fought tooth and nail to prevent the publication of the Xinjiang report, which reveals China’s sweeping rights abuses,” said Sophie Richardson, the Observatory’s China director. Of human rights. Richardson called on the UN Human Rights Council to launch a comprehensive investigation, guided by the report, into the Chinese government’s actions targeting Uyghurs and others — “and hold those responsible accountable.” The 46-page report examined many dimensions of a multi-year campaign and found evidence that “serious human rights violations” were committed under the guise of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. “The implementation of these strategies,” he concludes, “has led to interlocking patterns of severe and unjustified restrictions on a wide range of human rights.” The report found that mass detention in Xinjiang from 2017 to 2019 was “marked by patterns of torture”. There was also “serious evidence of violations of reproductive rights through the coercive and discriminatory enforcement of family planning and birth control policies.” Reports of sexual violence were “credible”. Chinese authorities should release all people who have been “arbitrarily deprived of their liberty,” the report said, and help people find information about missing family members. Bachelet visited Xinjiang, in northwest China, in May on a highly orchestrated six-day government tour that critics said did little more than hand officials a propaganda victory. At the end of the trip, Bachelet said she was unable to determine the scale of a re-education and incarceration program aimed at ethnic Uyghurs, stressing that the visit was “not research”. Addressing activists and relatives of imprisoned or disappeared Uighurs who had written to her office, she said: “I heard you.” Beijing opposed the release of the report, noting recently that hundreds of Chinese organizations in Xinjiang had sent letters to Bachelet’s office protesting the release of such an “unauthorized and untrue” assessment. UN human rights chief slams Uyghur supporters visiting China Despite testimony, public records, leaked government directives and police records, satellite images and visits to the area by diplomats and journalists that revealed the use of forced labor and the mass detention of an estimated 1 million to 2 million residents in re-education camps , Beijing claims its years-long campaign in Xinjiang is about fighting terrorism and alleviating poverty. It also denies or downplays evidence of children being separated from their parents, reports of depressed Uyghur birth rates, and evidence that Uyghur identity and culture are being curtailed. Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, called on the Office of the High Commissioner to “stand on the right side of history … and reject the publication of an assessment on Xinjiang based on false information and false accusations.” For China, the timing of the report is particularly sensitive: it comes less than two months before a major political meeting for the ruling Chinese Communist Party, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third term that would cement the precedent. position as the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. In recent years, China – a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council – has expanded its leverage at the United Nations, promoting an alternative version of human rights that is more in line with Communist Party doctrine. In 2018, Bachelet’s office announced it would investigate allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Last September, she said she had not secured substantive access to Xinjiang but that her office was “completing its assessment of available information on allegations of serious human rights violations in the region, with a view to making it public.” Finally visited in May. In the months that have passed, human rights experts and advocates have been waiting to hear more. Last week, Bachelet acknowledged she was under “enormous pressure to publish or not to publish” but said she would not be swayed. “We are trying very hard to do what I promised,” he told reporters in Geneva. “China, with its massive surveillance and technological capabilities, is inherently capable of hiding the truth from the international community,” said Raihan Asat, a human rights activist and Uighur lawyer interviewed for the report. “That’s why I think this report is so important. It sends a message to the Chinese government that it is not beyond control.” Some questioned the relevance of the report to existing data and China’s claims that re-education centers — “vocational training centers,” it calls them — have been closed. But rights groups say that even if the more serious parts of the campaign end, the situation should be rigorously investigated. “This does not change the fact that the Chinese government has committed crimes against humanity over the past five years,” said Richardson of Human Rights Watch. “This does not erase what has happened over the past five years and the urgent need for accountability.” Added Asat, “There must be accountability to break this cycle of impunity for powerful states.” Kuo reported from Taipei, Rauhala from Brussels.