Uyghur activist urges China to cease human right abuses in Xinjiang, implement UN proposal

A request has been made by a Uyghur activist to China, urging them to put into effect the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and to have the OHCHR investigate all reported instances of human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Zumretay Arkin of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) in her intervention during the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council said, "It is with increasing concern that we monitor the situation in the Uyghur Autonomous Region. The OHCHR independent assessment, which stated that the violations. may amount to crimes against humanity', a number of UN reports have since been published."

The WUC team is in Geneva this week for the #HRC52 to deliver statements under Item 4 General Debate.

A number of states have raised the #Uyghur issue in their oral statement. pic.twitter.com/7IFXZuuxUD

— World Uyghur Congress (@UyghurCongress)

She added, "We take particular attention to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's decision under its Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure published on November 23 reminding States of their responsibility to cooperate to bring an end to any serious breaches of human rights obligations. CERD also for the first time referred this matter to the attention of the Special Advisor of the Secretary-General for the Responsibility to Protect."

The concerns regarding Uyghur forced labour were reiterated in the recent report by the Committee of Experts of the International Labour Organization. In addition to this, UN Special Procedure mandate-holders issued a communication in February. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights also released its Concluding Observations after China's review last month, which highlighted a wide range of issues including de-extremification policies and reproductive rights.

Zumretay said, "Despite the increased UN reporting, this Council has failed to meaningfully address accountability avenues." "We call on the People's Republic of China to implement the Concluding Observations of the CERD, and OHCHR. We also call on Member States to follow up on the CERD's Decision," she told the Council.

The US in its "2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices," raised concern over human rights violations in China, Pakistan and Myanmar. The country report on Xinjiang, located in the People's Republic of China (PRC), depicted the ongoing perpetration of genocide and crimes against humanity against mostly Muslim Uyghurs and individuals belonging to other ethnic and religious minority groups.

"Genocide and crimes against humanity occurred during the year against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang. These crimes were continuing and included: the arbitrary imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty of more than one million civilians; forced sterilization, coerced abortions, and more restrictive application of the country's birth control policies; rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence; torture of a large number of those arbitrarily detained; and persecution including forced labour and draconian restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, and freedom of movement," read the report.

Where is XUAR and who are the Uyghurs?

XUAR or the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China is the country's largest region, covering one-sixth of its total territory, with a population of 25.85 million. It is rich in resources such as coal, gas, oil, lithium, zinc and lead, as well as being a major source of agricultural production, such as of cotton. The western region shares external borders with Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russian Federation and Tajikistan with the area also providing important routes and access to Central Asian markets and beyond.

The Uyghurs are a mostly Muslim ethnic group who speak a Turkic language and are culturally closer to communities in Central Asia than Beijing. Around 12 million of them live in Xinjiang, making up around 45 per cent of the population, with their cultural heartlands lying primarily in the region's arid south.

Apart from Uyghurs, other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority communitiesis that reside in the area are Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks and Huis.