UNHRC says extent of arbitrary detentions against Uyghurs and others in China may constitute crimes against humanity

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has concluded that serious human rights violations against the Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim communities have been committed in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The report published yesterday said that “allegations of patterns of torture, or ill-treatment, including forced medical treatment and adverse conditions of detention, are credible, as are allegations of individual incidents of sexual and gender-based violence.

In a strongly-worded assessment at the end of the report, OHCHR said that the extent of arbitrary detentions against Uyghur and others may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity. The report said that the Chinese Government “holds the primary duty to ensure that all laws and policies are brought into compliance with international human rights law and to promptly investigate any allegations of human rights violations, to ensure accountability for perpetrators, and to provide redress to victims.

UN rights office in the report recommended that it is for the Chinese Government to take “prompt steps” to release all individuals arbitrarily imprisoned in Xinjiang, whether in camps or any other detention centre. China should let families know the whereabouts of any individuals who have been detained, providing exact locations, and help to establish “safe channels of communication” and allow families to reunite, said the report.