China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang – UN report

The United Nations says the Chinese authorities may have committed “serious human rights violations” in a long-awaited report into allegations of abuse in Xinjiang province.

China had earlier called on the UN not to release the report Beijing branded a
“farce” arranged by Western powers.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who has faced criticism from some diplomats and rights groups for being too easy on China, released the report just minutes before her four-year term ended.

The report by the UN assesses claims of violations of human rights against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities, which China denies.

The U.N. Human Rights Office said in its 48-page report that “serious human rights violations have been committed” in Xinjiang “in the context of the government’s application of counter-terrorism and counter-‘extremism’ strategies”.

The report however recommended the Chinese government to take prompt steps to release all those detained in training centers, prisons or detention facilities.

Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses against Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority that numbers around 10 million in the western region of Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced labour in internment camps, torture, forced sterilization, sexual violence and forced separation of children. The United States has accused China of genocide.

China has vigorously denied the allegations.

In 2010, China’s census put the total population of Uyghurs at just over 10 million, less than 1% of China’s total population. They are the largest ethnic group in the autonomous region of Xinjiang.