Michelle Bachelet won't seek 2nd term as UN rights chief amid backlash over China visit

Amid facing immense criticism for her reportedly "failed" trip to China, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet announced she has no mood to continue her second term. The major development came as she has been facing massive criticism for her last trip to Beijing where she held a few meetings with the Chinese officials. As per the allegations levelled by some human rights experts, Bachelet failed to address the issue of China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in western Xinjiang.

However, refuting the reports that cite China's trip as the reason behind her decision, the top UN official claimed she had already been informed about her decision to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York around two months ago. According to Bachelet, the last trip has no link with her decision. During her opening address to the summer session of the Human Rights Council on Monday, the UN official expressed that she wants to go back to her motherland, Chile, where she served as President for two terms. "I am not a young woman anymore and after a long and rich career, I want to go back to my country, to my family," 70-year-old Bachelet said at a brief news conference. "Having been president (of Chile) twice, I have received a lot of criticism in my life. That’s not what makes me do certain decisions," added Bachelet. 

Report on Michelle Bachelet's last visit will be submitted before her departure 

Meanwhile, Guterres affirmed his support for Bachelet after she faced criticism from the United States and others for allegedly not doing enough to raise concerns about or look into rights abuses in Xinjiang. Notably, she had visited China on a six-day trip, where she met President Xi Jinping and other top officials. "In all, she has done, Michelle Bachelet lives and breathes human rights. She has moved the needle in an extremely challenging political context — and she has made a profound difference for people around the globe," he said. It is worth mentioning Bachelet took up the job in September 2018. Barely a few days after assuming office, she had expressed hopes of visiting China and viewing the rights situation in Xinjiang for herself. Her current term ends on August 31. According to the UN official, she raised concerns about arbitrary detentions and “patterns of abuse” against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang and added the long-awaited report will be submitted before her term ends.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP