China's human rights record to be scrutinized by UN Human Rights Council
2 November 2018
“The Chinese government must tell the truth about the mass internment of up to a million people, predominantly muslim, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region when the country's human rights record is reviewed next Tuesday before the UN Human Rights Council.", Amnesty International has declared.
In the face of mounting evidence that a mass internment campaign is underway, arbitrary punishments and torture since the beginning of 2017, The Chinese government acknowledged the existence of the camps last month, although he said they were “vocational training centers”.
“The Human Rights Council must send the Chinese government an unequivocal message that its campaign of systematic repression in Xinjiang, which includes the arbitrary detention of up to a million people, It must end”, Patrick Poon said., Amnesty International China researcher.
"El gobierno chino debe acabar con la campaña de represión sistemática en Sin-kiang que inclute la detención arbitraria de hasta un millón de personas"
Patrick Poon, Amnesty International
“This would help address the situation of hundreds of thousands of families devastated by this repression against ethnic minorities.” In the latest review of human rights in China, made in 2013, the government gave assurances that independent UN human rights experts would be allowed to visit the Autonomous Region; nevertheless, none have been given access to the region since then. Chinese authorities systematically denied the existence of the camps until the 16 October, when the governor of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in an interview with Chinese state media, He described them as vocational training centers. There is a growing and credible body of evidence —which includes satellite images and dozens of testimonies from relatives of people whose whereabouts are unknown and from people who were detained— indicating that large-scale human rights violations are being committed in the camps. “The recent propaganda of the Chinese authorities should not deceive anyone. Internment camps are places where torture and other forms of ill-treatment are endemic.. “States must demand the truth from China at the UN Human Rights Council review on Tuesday.”, concluded Patrick Poon.In the last year the government campaign of mass internment has intensified, intrusive surveillance, political indoctrination and forced cultural assimilation against ethnic Uighur and Kazakh people and members of other ethnic groups in the region, mostly Muslims. Most families of detained people are unaware of the fate of their loved ones and are often afraid to speak out.The internment of ethnic groups, mostly Muslims, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has intensified since March 2017, when the “Antiradicalization Regulations” were approved” in that region. The public samples —or even private— religious and cultural affiliation, how to have a “strange” beard, covering the head with a traditional veil or scarf, pray frequently, fast or avoid alcohol, or having books or articles about Islam or Uyghur culture can be considered “radical” behavior” under this regulation.Other important reasons for suspicion are traveling abroad for work or studies, especially to Muslim majority countries, or be in contact with people outside of China.
Additional information
The process by which the Human Rights Council reviews the compliance by each UN Member State with its human rights obligations and commitments is known as the universal periodic review. (EPU). Civil society groups and organizations play a key role in the UPR by providing information on the human rights situation in the countries under review and suggesting measures to address problems.. You can find here the information presented by Amnesty International on China for the next universal periodic review.
