Huge setback for West as UN rights body rejects plea to discuss China's abuse of Uyghurs

In a major development, the United States and European nations' bid to discuss human rights violations committed against Muslim Uyghurs in China has recently been denied by the top UN human rights council organisation. According to the Wall Street Journal report, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has rejected a proposal from the western nations which includes US and UK, to conduct a discussion on alleged rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China's western Xinjiang province. 

The motion to discuss has been based on a report issued in the month of August, which stated that the violations occurred in the context of the Chinese government's claim that it is using so-called Vocational Educational and Training Centers (VETCs), also known as re-education camps, as part of a counter-extremism strategic plan to target terrorists among the Uyghur minority.  

Report exposes the rights abuses occurring in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

According to media reports, the significant report published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on August 31 exposes the human rights abuses occurring in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The review was started after the OHCHR began receiving reports of alleged Uyghur human rights violations in the year 2017. It is pertinent to mention that the XUAR covers one-sixth of the nation’s territory and is abundant in natural resources.  

The 46-page report made a number of suggestions and examined a variety of topics, including its counter-terrorism policy, arbitrary imprisonment of people, and prejudice against Muslims. 

In the meantime, 19 nations, including Cuba, Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela, voted against the proposal to debate the report. According to the WSJ, it appears that these nations are afraid of upsetting China or feel responsible for supporting Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. The WSJ report even noted that the four of the nations on the list that disregarded the documented persecution of a minority number of Chinese Muslims are Muslim-majority countries. 

The OHCHR made a strong assessment at the conclusion of the report, stating that the scope of arbitrary arrests against Uyghur and others, in the context of "restrictions and deprivation of fundamental rights, enjoyed individually and collectively, may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity." 

According to the OHCHR, the current Xinjiang government policy has "led to interlocking patterns" of harsh and unnecessary limitations on a wide spectrum of human rights. OHCHR also underlined that even though the VETC system has "been reduced in scope or wound up," as China claims, "the laws and policies that underpin it remain in place," which has led to a rise in the use of imprisonment. 

Notably, this UN's evaluation was released at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping has been preparing to break the tradition and run for a third term. 

(Image: AP)