The United Nations Human rights chief aims to release the Xinjiang report, before the end of her term. However, China is hindering the release of the report by lobbying against her.
Since the leak of internal documents in 2019, detailing the horrors of Chinese Uyghur camps, the United Nations Human Rights Council has launched an investigation into the matter. Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean politician will release an investigative report, the Xinjiang report, before the end of her term in August. Bachelet is now facing a lot of resistance from China, which is obstructing the release of the report.
The Xinjiang Report
The news of Bachelet’s visit to the Western province had broken back in January 2022. China had agreed to her visit to Xinjiang only on the condition that her office does not release the report before the Bejing Winter Olympics, as per America’s request.
Now, that the report is ready for publication, China is in its way. According to a report by Reuters, there have been certain instances of the Chinese diplomatic circle circulating memos and letters protesting the release of the Xinjiang report. There are purported ‘versions’ of a letter, some harsher towards Bachelet while others softer.
Sources have come forward with information that China seeks to stop the report while it is still in its infancy. It claims that the letter is an attempt to ‘smear’ its image. Several accounts have reported that the letter says, “The assessment (on Xinjiang) if published, will intensify politicisation and bloc confrontation in the area of human rights, undermine the credibility of the OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights), and harm the cooperation between OHCHR and member states,”
It is actively seeking signatories for its letter, as a means to voice their support for China. Anonymous sources said that the letter had already started to do rounds in June in the diplomatic circles in Geneva.
The letter and memos can disbalance the independent investigation and its subsequent release. Since China holds a huge amount of economic and political influence in the international and diplomatic councils, the letters will persuade a few countries to its side.
Uyghur concentration camps
The western province of Xinjiang is home to the Muslim Uyghur minority which amounts to half of the province’s total population.
Over the past few years, the Chinese Communist Party under its president Xi Jinping has launched practices that violate human rights, specifically against Uyghurs.
These ‘re-education’ camps, as the party officials call them, aim to ‘de-radicalize’ and ‘secularize’ the minority population. The people there are being held forcefully. There are even reports of forced sterilization, abortion and contraception.
China is facing accusations of violating the International Convention by the UN for committing genocide. Moreover, the CCCP has also razed down mosques and detained religious figures. Naturally, China has denied all the claims.
Since the U.S Department of State submitted a report to Congress in July, China is busy in aggressive denial.
Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously called the allegations, a “Lie of the century”. Wenbin again defended the Chinese policy and called the report ‘baseless. Referring to the report he said, “The so-called report is a groundless smear of China’s human rights situation in Xinjiang,”
The upcoming Xinjiang report could prove to be a very crucial piece of the document. Bachelet does not seek a second term, therefore in this situation, it is imperative, that the report is released as soon as possible. If China is indeed as innocent as it suggests then the report should be public.
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