Uyghurs and UK Muslim organizations gathering opposite the Chinese embassy in London to protest against the Chinese government’s involvement in ongoing human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities on 31 July 2022.

Thomas Krych | Lightrocket | Getty Images

The U.N. rights council on Thursday voted down a Western-led motion to hold a debate about alleged human rights abuses by China against Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang in a victory for Beijing as it seeks to avoid further scrutiny.

The defeat — 19 against, 17 for, 11 abstentions — is only the second time in the council’s 16-year history that a motion has been rejected and is seen by observers as a setback to both accountability efforts, the West’s moral authority on human rights and the credibility of the United Nations itself.

The United States, Canada and Britain were among the countries that brought the motion.

“This is a disaster. This is really disappointing,” said Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, whose mother died in a camp and whose two brothers are missing.

“We will never give up but we are really disappointed by the reaction of Muslim countries,” he added.
Qatar, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan rejected the motion, with the latter citing the risk of alienating China. Phil Lynch, director of the International Service for Human Rights, called the voting record “shameful” on Twitter.

“Xinjiang-related issues are not human rights issues at all, but issues of counter-terrorism, de-radicalization and anti-separatism,” said China’s foreign ministry late on Thursday.

The motion was an attempt by the United States and some Western countries to “use the UN human rights body to interfere in China’s internal affairs,” said the foreign ministry in a post on its official website.

New targets ‘tomorrow’

China’s envoy had warned before the vote that the motion would create a precedent for examining other countries’ human rights records.

“Today China is targeted. Tomorrow any other developing country will be targeted,” said Chen Xu, adding that a debate would lead to “new confrontations.”

The U.N. rights office 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.

‘Enormous pressure’

Source link

You May Also Like

Biden Touts Easing Inflation as ‘Bidenomics in Action’

President Biden, whose re-election prospects could hinge on whether inflation moderates without…

Christmas tree demand remains high despite inflation | Long Island Business News

For all the worries about inflation and the economy, Americans aren’t scrimping…

Two Ronkonkoma industrial properties trade for $28.3M | Long Island Business News

Two industrial properties in Ronkonkoma have sold for $28.3 million.  Metropolitan Realty…

Gameloft sees initial success with expansion to PC/consoles

Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit Next 2022? All sessions…