U.N. physique rejects debate on China’s remedy of Uyghur Muslims in blow to West

The U.N. rights council on Thursday voted down a Western-led movement to carry a debate about alleged human rights abuses by China towards Uyghurs and different Muslims in Xinjiang in a victory for Beijing because it seeks to keep away from additional scrutiny.

The defeat — 19 towards, 17 for, 11 abstentions — is barely the second time within the council’s 16-year historical past {that a} movement has been rejected and is seen by observers as a setback to each accountability efforts, the West’s ethical authority on human rights and the credibility of the United Nations itself.

The USA, Canada and Britain had been among the many international locations that introduced the movement.

“This can be a catastrophe. That is actually disappointing,” mentioned Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, whose mom died in a camp and whose two brothers are lacking.

“We’ll by no means quit however we’re actually upset by the response of Muslim international locations,” he added.
Qatar, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan rejected the movement, with the latter citing the chance of alienating China. Phil Lynch, director of the Worldwide Service for Human Rights, referred to as the voting report “shameful” on Twitter.

“Xinjiang-related points will not be human rights points in any respect, however problems with counter-terrorism, de-radicalization and anti-separatism,” mentioned China’s international ministry late on Thursday.

The movement was an try by america and a few Western international locations to “use the UN human rights physique to intervene in China’s inner affairs,” mentioned the international ministry in a publish on its official web site.

China’s envoy had warned earlier than the vote that the movement would create a precedent for analyzing different international locations’ human rights information.

“At present China is focused. Tomorrow every other growing nation will probably be focused,” mentioned Chen Xu, including {that a} debate would result in “new confrontations.”

The U.N. rights workplace on Aug. 31 released a long-delayed report that found serious human rights violations in Xinjiang that may constitute crimes against humanity, ramping up pressure on China.

Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses against Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority that numbers around 10 million in the western region of Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced labor in internment camps. The United States has accused China of genocide. Beijing vigorously denies any abuses.

The motion is the first time that the rights record of China, a powerful permanent Security Council member, has been on the council’s agenda. The item has stoked divisions and a diplomat said states were under “enormous pressure” from Beijing to back China.

Countries like Britain, the United States and Germany, vowed to continue to work towards accountability despite Thursday’s outcome. 

But activists said the defeat of such a limited motion, which stopped short of seeking an investigation, would make it difficult to put it back on the agenda.

Universal Rights Group’s Marc Limon said it was a “serious miscalculation,” citing the timing which coincides with a Western-led motion for action on Russia.

“It’s a serious blow for the credibility of the council and a clear victory for China,” he said. “Many developing countries will see it as an adjustment away from Western predominance in the U.N. human rights system.”

The event raised political dilemmas for many poor countries in the 47-member council who are loath to publicly defy China for fear of jeopardizing investment.