inquire about Uyghur people, demand raised in US human rights meeting

Geneva – An insistent demand was made in the UN Human Rights meeting; China should allow impartial observers and officials deputed by the United Nations to enter the Xinjiang province to investigate the atrocities against the Uyghur people. Forty countries supported the statement published with the Canadian initiative. The report also mentions Hongkong and Tibet. The alignment against China over the human rights issue could have significant political implications.

A meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission is happening in Geneva. For the last few days, preparations were being made to present a statement against China over the human rights issue. The meeting held last month over the issues of atrocities against the Uyghurs and other minorities in China. The remarks passed by the G-7 regarding China and the concerns expressed by the United States are all a part of the exact alignment against China. Moreover, a few days ago, the group, ‘Inter-parliamentary Alliance on China’, having 20 countries as members, had published an open letter adopting an aggressive stand against China over the Uyghurs issue.

Against this background, Canadian Ambassador, Leslie Norton, released a statement, lashing out at China. Strong salvos of criticism have been fired at China, in the report, over the issues of atrocities against Uyghurs along with human rights violations in Hongkong and Tibet. The statement targets China saying, ‘Nearly a million Uyghurs have been detained in the Xinjiang province. Fundamental rights of the Uyghurs and the other minorities are being denied; restrictions are imposed on their culture. These communities are consciously being kept under surveillance. Reliable reports have been received regarding this.’

While firing this salvo of criticism, the report makes an insistent demand that Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and other unbiased observers should be granted immediate access to the Xinjiang province. Along with the major European countries, the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan also have supported the demand. Therefore, there are clear indications that China is being cornered further on the international level, on the Uyghurs issue.

China being aware that it will be targeted on the human rights issue, has already retaliated against Canada through an independent statement. China, getting support from Russia, Iran, and a few other countries, fired a salvo of criticism at Canada over Children Mass Grave. China has demanded that an investigation into the atrocities against the original inhabitants of Canada should be carried out. At the same time, the Chinese foreign ministry warned that the UN human rights chief might pay a friendly visit to the Xinjiang province without any investigation or any political motive.

In the last few years, more and more countries raise their voice against the atrocities against the Uyghurs by the Chinese communist regime. Countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada have accused that the atrocities against the Uyghurs are nothing but genocide. So, efforts have started in that direction, even on the international level, and this has made the Chinese communist regime very uncomfortable.