UN wants China to take action on human rights issues

• The UN human rights chief demanded action from Beijing.
• Turk has been under pressure from Western nations and rights organizations to take a firm.
• “All legitimate rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people are better protected”.

Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief, demanded action from Beijing on Tuesday to address “grave concerns” about the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang province.

Following a bombshell report by his predecessor that cited possible crimes against humanity in the far-western region, Turk has been under pressure from Western nations and rights organizations to take a firm stance on Xinjiang.

Turk stated in his main speech to the current UN Human Rights Council session that the UN is concerned about the protection of minorities such as Uyghurs in Xinjiang and Tibetans.

“Regarding China, we have opened up channels of communication with a range of actors to follow up on a variety of human rights issues,” Turk said.

“In the Xinjiang region, my office has documented grave concerns — notably large-scale arbitrary detentions and ongoing family separations — and has made important recommendations that require concrete follow-up.”

Turk also expressed concern about Hong Kong’s far-reaching national security law, which was enacted in 2020 to quell dissent following massive and often violent pro-democracy demonstrations.

“We also have concerns about the severe restriction of civic space more generally, including the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and lawyers, and the impact of the National Security Law in Hong Kong,” he said.

The allegations of torture are ‘credible’

Turk made the remarks during his first set-piece speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva since taking office as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in October.

Turk’s predecessor, Michelle Bachelet, released a long-awaited report on Xinjiang just 13 minutes before her term ended on August 31.

It detailed a slew of human rights violations against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, highlighting “credible” claims of widespread torture, arbitrary detention, and violations of religious and reproductive rights.

Beijing strongly denies the allegations and maintains that it is running vocational training centres in the region to combat extremism.

In response to Turk’s speech, Chinese ambassador Chen Xu stated that human rights in Xinjiang were “well protected” as a result of Beijing’s efforts to combat terrorism and radicalization.

“Xinjiang and Tibet enjoy continuous economic growth, harmonious and stable society, constantly improved livelihood, prosperous culture, peaceful co-existence of all religions and unprecedented achievements in human rights development,” he said.

Furthermore, “all legitimate rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people are better protected” since the implementation of the National Security Law.

Western countries, led by the United States, attempted to hold a debate on the Xinjiang report at the Human Rights Council last October.

Despite intense Chinese lobbying among the 47 members of the UN Security Council, nations voted 19-17 against discussing the findings, with 11 abstaining.

US ambassador Michele Taylor urged the council Tuesday to “take action to address the egregious and ongoing violation of human rights in Xinjiang”.

Meanwhile, British Ambassador Simon Manley urged Beijing to “stop denying the facts and engage seriously and constructively” with Turk’s office’s recommendations.

Human Rights Watch’s Geneva director, Hilary Power, urged the council to look into “sweeping rights abuses in China, including in Xinjiang,” noting that this call had “been made by hundreds of other NGOs from all regions and numerous UN experts.”

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