Activists urge action after UN accuses China of rights violations

Washington, Sep 3

Uyghur diaspora groups and activists around the world have urged the international community to take action to help end China's mistreatment of Uyghurs following the release of a report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a media report said.

In a statement on its website, Munich-based World Uyghur Congress and more than 60 Uyghur organisations around the world called on the UN to establish a commission of inquiry to independently examine the human rights situation in Xinjiang, VOA reported.

They also urged the UN Office on Genocide Prevention to immediately conduct an assessment of the risks of atrocities, including genocide and crimes against humanity, the report said.

Dolkun Isa, President of the World Uyghur Congress, told VOA that the report, titled 'OHCHR Assessment of human rights concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China', is "extremely" important.

"It paves the way for meaningful and tangible action by member states, U.N. bodies and the business community. Accountability starts now," Isa said.

On Wednesday, the last day of her four-year tenure, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet published her office's long-awaited assessment on human rights circumstances in China's northwest region of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), saying China has committed "serious human rights violations" and "may have committed crimes against humanity" against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim communities under the pretext of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategies, VOA reported.

"The implementation of these strategies, and associated policies in XUAR, has led to interlocking patterns of severe and undue restrictions on a wide range of human rights," the report said.

"These patterns of restrictions are characterized by a discriminatory component, as the underlying acts often directly or indirectly affect Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim communities."