UN rights chief to publish Xinjiang report today despite China's protest
Aug 31, 2022
Geneva [Switzerland], August 31 : UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is set to release the long-awaited report on rights abuses in China's Xinjiang province on Wednesday, media reports said.
The release of the report comes on the last day of Bachelet in office who has come under fire for repeatedly postponing the report's release with little explanation -- baffling diplomats, and human rights advocates.
In December her spokesperson announced plans to publish the report within weeks, but it failed to appear, reinforcing perceptions of a United Nations leadership reluctant to stand up to China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian today said they firmly oppose the release of a so-called Xinjiang-related report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"Today, August 31, is Ms Bachelet's last day in office. As to the Xinjiang-related report you mentioned, China has made clear its stern position on many occasions," Zhao said during a regular press conference.
"The report is a pure stunt orchestrated by the US and a handful of other Western countries. We hope the High Commissioner will make the right decision," he added.
UN human rights experts have raised serious concerns about the alleged detention and forced labour of Muslim Uyghurs in China, calling for unhindered access to the country to conduct fact-finding missions and urging global and domestic companies to closely scrutinize their supply chains.
Experts have raised concern over the plight of Uyghur Muslims and the support for the cause has found expression through calls to boycott Chinese products that are manufactured in Xinjiang.
A number of watchdogs have also come up with several reports with first-person accounts of affected minorities, which showed Beijing's active involvement in the crime against humanity.
Several organisations have made global demands to boycott Chinese products as well as to announce a diplomatic boycott of events held by China.
Even in the face of mounting evidence, China refuses to deny all evidence and terms the claims as western propaganda.
