UN rights chief hopes lastly to launch report on China’s Uyghurs in coming week

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights mentioned on Thursday that she remains to be aiming to launch a long-anticipated report on China’s therapy of its Uyghur minority in Xinjiang by the tip of her four-year mandate subsequent week.

Michelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile, has confronted extreme criticism from civil society for being too delicate on China throughout a go to earlier this 12 months and has since mentioned she is going to chorus from searching for a second time period for private causes.

The report has been within the works for 3 years and promised for months however has not been revealed for unclear causes.

“We are trying very hard to do what I promised,” Michelle Bachelet mentioned at a press briefing in Geneva, referring to a pledge to launch it earlier than the tip of her time period on Aug. 31.

Asked to elaborate on why it has not been launched, she mentioned she wanted time to combine new info from her May go to.

Rights teams accuse Beijing of abuses in opposition to Uyghurs residing within the western area of Xinjiang, together with the mass use of compelled labour in internment camps. China has vigorously denied allegations of state persecution of Uyghurs, a primarily Muslim ethnic minority that numbers round 10 million folks.

Reuters reported final month that China had requested Bachelet to bury the report, in response to a Chinese letter that was confirmed by diplomats from international locations who acquired it.

Bachelet confirmed on Thursday having acquired that letter which she mentioned was signed by about 40 different states, including that her workplace wouldn’t reply to such strain.