The U.N.’s new human right chief said his agency has documented China’s arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and the separation of children from their families in comments during a global update on human rights on Wednesday in Geneva.
The United Nations human rights chief said a long overdue report on rights abuses in western China’s Xinjiang region may not be issued by the time she leaves her post on Aug. 31, prompting dismay among Uyghur advocacy groups and a U.S. call to release the document
A United Nations whistleblower fired last week for accusing the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR ) of providing the names of Chinese government opponents and activists who sought accreditation to participate in U.N. activities has called for an external investigation of the body
The United Nations lead official for human rights called on Friday for a full and independent investigation of human rights abuses in northwest China’s Xinjiang region, where reports say over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been held in a vast network of internment camps since 2017
China beat out only Saudi Arabia, which has faced its own share of condemnation over its rights record. Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Nepal also won seats in the race to represent Asia-Pacific countries on the 47-member council
Bachelet said emergency powers “should be used to cope effectively with the pandemic – nothing more, nothing less” and “should not be a weapon governments can wield to quash dissent, control the population, and even perpetuate their time in power.”
Despite the challenges faced, Nyanduga noted that the Federal Government of Somalia and the country’s Federal Member States were enhancing access to basic human rights, including health, water and education for the residents and praised the increasing enrolment of girls in schools as a good development for the realization of women’s rights in Somalia
In January, China’s foreign ministry welcomed U.N. officials to visit the region, provided they “abide by Chinese law and comply with relevant procedures,” and “avoid interfering in domestic matters or undermining [China’s] sovereignty”
The report recommends that North Korea undergo comprehensive reforms, such as a review of the criminal codes and other laws so that North Koreans can participate in lawful market activities
Grave rights abuses documented by OHCHR in 2017 included extrajudicial killings, widespread arbitrary detentions, restrictions to freedom of assembly and expression and indiscriminate house raids and attacks