Despite last week’s warning by Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu that Canada should stay out of Xinjiang, the Canadian Parliament’s International Human Rights Commission had no concerns and this week issued a statement with its report criticizing China for a series of persecutions of the Uighur people in Xinjiang, including mass detentions, birth restrictions, and forced labor abuses. The committee was led by a member of the ruling Liberal Party, and its chair, Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld, said in the statement: “The extent of human rights abuses against Uighurs in Xinjiang and abroad is appalling. Canada must play its part in defending human rights and inspiring the international community to take action.”
Conservative MP David Sweet, vice-chair of the International Human Rights Commission, said, “The Canadian government should define such acts as ‘genocide,’ and must also adopt the Magnitsky Act to punish those who violate human rights and commit inhumane acts. Chinese officials impose sanctions. “
The Commission held Uighur human rights hearings earlier this year and heard testimony from a number of Uighurs who had lived in “re-education camps” in Xinjiang. These witnesses stated that they were subjected to harsh living conditions in the “re-education camps,” physical and psychological abuse, forced to embrace the Han culture, and even forced to perform slave labor to produce goods for export. In addition, Uighurs living abroad, including in Canada, have been subjected to harassment and intimidation by the Chinese government.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on September 21 that this was gross interference in China’s internal affairs. He said, “The Canadian parliamentary committee concerned ignored the fact that Xinjiang has political stability, economic development, ethnic unity, and social harmony, and its statement is groundless and full of lies and false information. He cautioned the Canadian side to be careful with their words and actions to avoid further damage to China-Canada relations.
Shalina Nurly, youth leader of the Vancouver Uyghur Association, said the real liars are the Chinese government, and their usual scare tactics are wearing thin. “This is a great victory for us, we have been speaking out for years about the persecution of the Uighur people, and now that the Canadian parliamentary committee has become the first parliamentary body in the world to define the issue of Uighur persecution by China as genocide, we look forward to more substantive action from the Trudeau government.”
Mehmet Tohti, Canadian President of the World Uyghur Congress, suggested that Ottawa address the humanitarian crisis by granting refugee status to Uyghurs and developing an emergency relief plan for Uyghurs trapped in unsafe areas.
Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne issued a statement thanking Parliament for its work, but did not specify Ottawa’s initiative. The statement said, “We are deeply troubled and alarmed by reports of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and we have been publicly calling on the Chinese government to end its repression of the Uighur community.”
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