UYGHURS CALL ON UN RIGHTS CHIEF TO ASK HARD QUESTIONS IN XINJIANG

Tue 24 May 2022:

Uyghurs have urged United Nations Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet to ask tough questions in Xinjiang to avoid falling victim to a public relations ploy.

Bachelet’s six-day tour has entered a delicate new phase, with visits to the remote Xinjiang cities of Urumqi and Kashgar on Tuesday (May 24) and Wednesday (May 25).

On 23 May, State Councilor and FM Wang Yi met with the visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. A trip that would help enhance understanding and cooperation, and clarify misinformation.https://t.co/TKNJQ3HJEz pic.twitter.com/toHld1z5pl

— 陆慷 LU Kang (@Amb_LuKang) May 24, 2022

The outskirts of both the cities are dotted with what are believed to be detention camps, part of a large network of freshly constructed facilities that stretches across the remote province.

With a population of 4 million people, Urumqi, the regional capital, has a significant Uyghur population. It also houses major government departments accused of organizing China’s widespread crackdown.

Meanwhile, Kashgar, a 700,000-strong Uyghur heartland city, is an ancient Silk Road crossroads that has been severely targeted by Beijing’s campaign.

“Michelle Bachelet’s long-delayed visit to Xinjiang is a critical opportunity to address human rights violations in the region, but it will also be a running battle against Chinese government efforts to cover up the truth,” Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said in a statement.

China’s ruling communist party has long been accused of detaining over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities as part of a years-long security crackdown. The United States has labelled this a “genocide”.

However, China has vehemently denied the allegations and called the allegations “the lie of the century”.

Campaigners believe that Chinese authorities will prevent Bachelet from conducting a thorough investigation into alleged human rights violations, instead offering her a staged tour with limited access.

The United States is concerned that she has not been given guarantees about what she will see, claiming that she would not receive a “unbiased” assessment of China’s human rights situation.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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