UN rights chief says China violating fundamental rights in Xinjiang, Tibet

UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Monday said China was violating fundamental rights in its Xinjiang and Tibet regions and called on Beijing to change course.Turk, who has been criticised for not challenging China strongly enough over its human rights record, also asked Beijing to release rights defenders arrested under the “vague” offence of “picking quarrels and making trouble”. Turk called on Beijing to implement recommendations made by his office and other human rights bodies “in relation to laws, policies and practices that violate fundamental human rights, including in the Xinjiang and Tibet regions,” in his global update to the UN Human Rights Council.“I am engaging with the Hong Kong authorities on continuing concerns about national security laws,” he added.
In the northwestern Xinjiang region, China is accused of incarcerating more than a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. Beijing vehemently rejects the charges.Beijing denies allegations of abuse and insists its actions in Xinjiang have helped to combat extremism and enhance development.China was facing a regular Universal Periodic Review — an examination all 193 UN member states must undergo every four to five years to assess their human rights record.
China insisted it was making great strides to improve the lives of its people, end poverty and protect rights, and slammed critics for “politicising and weaponising” rights issues to interfere in its internal affairs.But Western countries highlighted a crackdown on civil liberties and a sweeping national security law imposed on Hong Kong in 2020 to quash dissent after pro-democracy protests.Others voiced alarm at alleged efforts to erase cultural and religious identity in Tibet, and repression in Xinjiang.