Chinese government’s oppression of Uyghurs and other Turkic people in Xinjiang province is condemned by as many as 50 members of the United Nations and issued a joint statement.
The joint statement of 50 countries in the UN General Assembly Third Committee on the human rights situation in Xinjiang read, “We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in the People’s Republic of China, especially the ongoing human rights violations of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.”
This is in light of a recent UN investigation that said the abuses occurred in the nation while targeting “terrorists” among the Uyghur minority with a counter-extremism policy that includes the use of re-education camps or so-called Vocational Educational and Training Centers (VETCs).
The extent of arbitrary detentions against Uyghur and others, in the context of “restrictions and deprivation more generally of fundamental rights, enjoyed individually and collectively, may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity,” according to a strongly worded assessment by the UN rights office.
The release of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) assessment of the human rights concerns in Xinjiang, according to UN members, impartially and objectively confirm these concerns.
The extent of the arbitrary and discriminatory arrest of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang that are predominately Muslim, according to the UN study, “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity,” it is claimed.
Given the seriousness of the OHCHR report, UN member states expressed concern that China has so far refused to discuss its conclusions and encouraged the Chinese government to follow its commitments under international human rights law and to fully implement the OHCHR assessment’s recommendations.
“This includes taking prompt steps to release all individuals arbitrarily deprived of their liberty in Xinjiang, and to urgently clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing family members and facilitate safe contact and reunion,” the letter read.