Uyghur rights abuses: UN accuses China of committing ‘crimes against humanity'

The United Nations has accused China of committing “serious human rights violations”, following an investigation into allegations of abuse against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang province. Investigators found “credible evidence” of torture possibly amounting to “crimes against humanity”, said a UN assessment report released on Wednesday.,

The report concluded that “the extent of arbitrary and discriminatory detention of members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups... may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity”.

“Allegations of patterns of torture or ill-treatment, including forced medical treatment and adverse conditions of detention, are credible, as are allegations of individual incidents of sexual and gender-based violence,” said the report. It said there were “credible indications of violations of reproductive rights through the coercive enforcement of family planning policies since 2017.”


"Similarly, there are indications that labour and employment schemes for purported purposes of poverty alleviation and prevention of ‘extremism’... may involve elements of coercion and discrimination on religious and ethnic grounds,” said the report.

The report recommended that China immediately takes steps to release “all individuals arbitrarily deprived of their liberty”.

China has rejected the findings, with its foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin telling media persons that the “so-called suggestions were pieced together based on disinformation to serve political objectives”.