UN CHIEF HOPES TO RELEASE UYGHUR REPORT NEXT WEEK

Thu 25 August 2022:

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated on Thursday that she intends to release a long-awaited report on China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority in Xinjiang by the conclusion of her four-year tenure next week.

Michelle Bachelet, Chile’s outgoing president, has faced harsh criticism from civil society for being too soft on China during a visit earlier this year, and she has since stated that she will not seek re-election for personal reasons.

The study has been in the works for three years and has been promised for months, but it has yet to be released for unknown reasons.

“We are trying very hard to do what I promised,” Michelle Bachelet said at a press briefing in Geneva, referring to a pledge to release it before the end of her term on Aug. 31.

Asked to elaborate on why it has not been released, she said she needed time to integrate new information from her May visit.

Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses against Uyghurs living in the western region of Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced labour in internment camps. China has vigorously denied allegations of state persecution of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority that numbers around 10 million people.

According to a Chinese letter corroborated by diplomats from nations that received it, China asked Bachelet to bury the findings, according to Reuters last month.

Bachelet confirmed receiving the letter, which she said was signed by roughly 40 other governments, on Thursday, adding that her office would not respond to such pressure.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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