China is asking the United Nations human rights chief to dump a highly-anticipated report on human rights violations in Xinjiang. This information is received through a Chinese letter seen by Reuters and corroborated by diplomats from three different nations. UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet announced she will not run for re-election for personal reasons. This comes after harsh criticism from the general public for being too lenient toward China during a visit in May.
Report on China’s Xinjiang region
As reported by Reuters, before she departs at the end of August, she has promised to write a report on the western Chinese region of Xinjiang. Rights organizations charge Beijing with mistreatment of the Uyghur people living in Xinjiang. The charges include the widespread use of forced labor in internment camps.
Equally important to note that China has vehemently refuted the claims. According to certain credible sources, the letter written by China expressed “grave concern” about the Xinjiang report. Moreover, it seeks to prevent its distribution. China circulated it among diplomatic missions in Geneva and requested other nations sign it to demonstrate their support. This claim came in late June.
More about the letter
China claimed that Bachelet would have seen a “real Xinjiang with a safe and stable society” when she visited the area during her May trip to China. The spokesperson claiming the same predicted that efforts by other nations to “smear China’s image” through the Xinjiang problem would fail.
“The assessment (on Xinjiang), if published, will intensify politicization and bloc confrontation in the area of human rights, undermine the credibility of the OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights), and harm the cooperation between OHCHR and member states,” the letter said, referring to Bachelet’s office. Adding to it, “We strongly urge Madame High Commissioner not to publish such an assessment.”
