British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a video address to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday (Feb. 22) that torture, forced labor and forced birth control are happening on an “industrial scale” in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region. He said that what is happening in Xinjiang is beyond imagination.
China is one of the 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council.
Previously, activists and U.N. human rights experts believed at least 1 million Muslims had been imprisoned in Xinjiang. China has frequently dismissed such accusations, saying that what is being done is necessary vocational training to combat extremism.
Raab has called for “immediate and unrestricted” access to Xinjiang for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet or other independent experts, and for the Human Rights Council to issue a resolution on the matter.
Speaking on SkyNews in the U.K. a few days ago, Raab said that since China believes the West’s allegations about human rights in Xinjiang are lies, and the U.K. is leading the charge, the easiest way to clear up the controversy would be to “allow the U.N. human rights commissioner to visit, enter and inspect the areas in Xinjiang.
The day before the end of the Trump administration, the U.S. State Department declared that the Chinese government had committed genocide and Crimes Against Humanity in Xinjiang. The Biden administration took up this accusation against China from the previous administration, saying it would make China pay a high price for human rights abuses.
It was noted that British Prime Minister Johnson did not take a clear position on whether China had committed genocide in Xinjiang. He said, “The determination of genocide is a legal matter, but I can say that I think what is happening in Xinjiang, what is happening against the Uyghurs, is extremely abhorrent.” In mid-January, the British House of Commons rejected an amendment proposed by the House of Lords that, if passed, would have legally banned Britain from signing FTAs with countries that commit genocide.
In his speech on Monday, Raab also referred to the “systematic destruction” of the rights of Hong Kong people. He said the imposition of the Hong Kong National Security Law restricts the freedom of the locals and called for free and fair Legislative Council elections. In addition, he said the situation in Myanmar has deteriorated dramatically due to the military coup. He said the military must step down and democratically elected leaders must return to the political arena. The aspirations of the Burmese people for democracy must be respected.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also made a video address to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday. He criticized the human rights situation in China, Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, North Korea, Syria, Iran and Venezuela. He said, “Given our identification with the Declaration of Human Rights, there can be no room for tolerance in response to the arbitrary detention of ethnic minorities taking place in Xinjiang, and the repression of Hong Kong citizens fighting for their right to freedom.” He said “we will not be silent” about incidents such as the arrests of peaceful demonstrators and opposition representatives.
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