UN chief urges China to follow Xinjiang report recommendations

United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres urged China to follow the recommendations of a UN report that found credible allegations of torture and forced labour in Xinjiang province. 

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said that the UN Chief was “concerned” by what he had read in the report that was released yesterday and said that China would “take on board the recommendations” made in the report, Al Jazeera reported. The report by UN human rights Chief Michelle Bachelet “confirms what the secretary-general has been saying on Xinjiang for quite some time, that human rights must be respected and that the Uighur community needs to be respected,” Guterres’s spokesman said, as quoted by Al Jazeera. This comes after the United Nations report was published on August 31. A groundbreaking UN report says the Chinese government has committed abuses that may amount to crimes against humanity targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic communities in the Xinjiang region. A group of 60 Uyghur organisations from 20 countries is calling for an immediate response to put an end to atrocities against Uyghurs following the release of a report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Thursday (local time) said that the United States will continue to work closely with partners, civil society, and the international community to seek justice and accountability for Uyghurs’ abuses in the Xinjiang region. The United States welcomed that report, which, according to the State Department’s statement, described authoritatively the appalling treatment and abuses of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups by the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It further noted that the report deepens and reaffirms the grave concern of the US regarding the “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity” that Chinese government authorities are perpetrating against Uyghurs. The report by the outgoing UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet contains victim accounts that substantiate mass arbitrary detention, torture, and other serious human rights violations and recommends the world take action to end the abuses. The Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, in a statement, said Uyghurs are calling for seven concrete actions by governments, multilateral bodies, and corporations. “This UN report is extremely important. “It paves the way for meaningful and tangible action by member states, UN bodies, and the business community,” said World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa.