April 26, 2022
Cited article by Helen Davidson, The Guardian
HRRC condemns the reported abuses taking place in China. It is hoped that the UN investigation will provide clarity and evidence of the actions taking place in the Xinjiang region.
Article Summary
The UN Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (OHRC) has been in discussion with China since 2018 in order to gain access to the Xinjiang region to investigate allegations without supervision or restriction. In March 2022, OHRC Chief Michelle Bachelet stated they had reached an agreement to visit China in May. This would be the first time a human rights commissioner has visited China since 2005. A five-person advance team has arrived in China ahead of Chief Bachelet.
The primary reason for the investigation is due to the reported human rights abuses taking place in the Xinjiang region against the Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim populations. Reports of detention centers were initially denied by the Chinese government, however the government later stated that these were vocational training centers. Many are calling China's actions genocidal, yet China claims they are conducting anti-terror and anti-poverty campaigns.