US, UK and Germany clash with China over treatment of Uighurs

NEW YORK • The United States, Germany and Britain have clashed with China at the United Nations over the treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, angering Beijing by hosting a virtual event that China had lobbied UN member states to stay away from.

"We will keep standing up and speaking out until China's government stops its crimes against humanity and the genocide of Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjiang," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at the event on Wednesday, which organisers said was attended by about 50 countries.

Western states and rights groups accuse the Xinjiang authorities of detaining and torturing Uighurs and other minorities in camps. Beijing denies the accusations and describes the camps as vocational training facilities to combat religious extremism.

"In Xinjiang, people are being tortured. Women are being forcibly sterilised," Ms Thomas-Greenfield said.

Amnesty International secretary-general Agnes Callamard told the event that there were an estimated one million Uighurs and predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities arbitrarily detained.

In a note to UN member states last week, China's UN mission rejected the accusations as "lies and false allegations" and accused the organisers of being "obsessed with provoking confrontation with China".

While China urged countries "not to participate in this anti-China event", a Chinese diplomat addressed the event.

"China has nothing to hide on Xinjiang. Xinjiang is always open," said Mr Guo Jiakun.

"We welcome everyone to visit Xinjiang, but we oppose any kind of investigation based on lies and with the presumption of guilt."

The event was organised by Germany, the US and Britain and co-sponsored by Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several European nations.

Germany's UN Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said countries that sponsored the event faced "massive Chinese threats", but he did not elaborate.

Britain's UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward described the situation in Xinjiang as "one of the worst human rights crises of our time", adding: "The evidence... points to a programme of repression of specific ethnic groups."

She called for China to allow "immediate, meaningful and unfettered access" for UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet.

Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth called out Ms Bachelet for not joining the event. "I'm sure she's busy. You know we all are. But I have a similar global mandate to defend human rights and I couldn't think of anything more important to do than to join you here today," he told the event.

Ms Ravina Shamdasani, deputy spokesman for the UN human rights office, said Ms Bachelet - who has expressed serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and is seeking access - was unable to participate.

"The High Commissioner continues to engage with the Chinese authorities on the modalities for such a visit," she said, adding that Ms Bachelet's office "continues to gather and analyse relevant information and follow the situation closely".

Separately, the US warned on Wednesday that Beijing would use the Winter Olympics to gloss over abuses as Washington slapped sanctions on another Chinese official over treatment of the Falungong religious sect.

Releasing an annual US report on international religious freedom that found widespread concerns in China, a senior official said the US was still considering its moves ahead of the Olympics in February next year.

"We can't turn a blind eye to Beijing's abhorrent human rights record," said Mr Dan Nadel, a State Department official who works on religious freedom.

"We're reviewing options on policy and messaging related to the Games that will advance US priorities, which include countering Beijing's intent to use the Games as a platform to somehow validate their governing model and paper over their gross human rights violations," he told reporters.

In the latest US action, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Mr Yu Hui, a Chengdu-based former official who was in charge of dealing with "heretical religions", and his family would be denied admission to the United States.

Mr Blinken pointed to his "gross violations of human rights", including arbitrary detentions of members of Falungong.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE