The term "genocide" should not be abused by American politicians (International Forum)

　　Former US Secretary of State Pompeo slandered China's "genocide" in Xinjiang on the last day before he stepped down.

Pompeo prides himself on lying and uses lies as a tool of US foreign policy, which has long been known to everyone.

Regrettably, the "2020 National Human Rights Report" released by the US State Department this year inherited Pompeo's lies and continued to baselessly accuse China's Xinjiang of "genocide."

However, the full text of the report does not provide evidence to support the so-called "genocide" allegations, that is to say, the evidence can only be guessed by readers.

　　In December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly passed the "Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," which clearly stipulated the definition of the crime of genocide and the obligations of countries to prevent and punish the crime.

This is the first international human rights treaty established under the auspices of the United Nations.

　　"Genocide" has strict standards and procedures in international law.

The so-called accusations made by the United States indiscriminately will not only violate international law, but will also cause damage to the interests of other countries.

Countries have the responsibility to prevent the term "genocide" from being abused.

The international community must have a clear understanding of this.

　　The US government’s allegations of “genocide” in China’s Xinjiang came from a single source: in June 2020, Zheng Guoen published a so-called research report at the Jamestown Foundation of the United States.

The report claimed that China implemented "compulsory sterilization" of Uyghur women, causing a significant decline in the Uyghur population.

The Associated Press, CNN and other media reports are also based on this report.

　　However, in fact, China has always implemented a childbirth policy for ethnic minorities that is wider than that of the Han, and the growth rate of the ethnic minority population is higher than the national average.

From 2010 to 2018, the overall population of Xinjiang maintained a normal growth, with the Uyghur population growing faster than the non-Uyghur population.

In his report, Zheng Guoen deliberately distorted China's fertility policy, falsified and distorted the original data, and the statistical data did not conform to the facts.

　　Zheng Guoen also stated in the report that he expressed “serious concerns” in accordance with the text of Article II, Section D of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Here, it is necessary for us to analyze this citation through the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

The first paragraph of Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties stipulates the main rules for interpreting treaties: “The treaty shall be interpreted in good faith based on its terms, its context, and with reference to the normal meaning of the treaty’s purpose and purpose.” Zheng Guoen The report did not comply with the rules of Article 31, paragraph 1, of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, and misinterpreted the text of Article II, Section D of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which does not conform to the norms of international law.

　　In other words, the US allegations of China's so-called "genocide" in Xinjiang originate from a report full of errors.

The United States has not implemented international law in accordance with the principle of honesty.

Within the UN legal system, the US accusations of "genocide" are invalid.

The "genocide" accusation should never be made so lightly. Improper use of this term may exacerbate geopolitical and military tensions, devalue the historical memory of genocide such as the "holocaust," and hinder the ability to prevent genocide. .

Fabricating facts and abusing the law are the destruction of international law.

The entire international community has a responsibility to protect the term "genocide" from being abused by American politicians.

　　(The author is a well-known Turkish law and human rights expert, and an honorary professor of the Azerbaijan Branch of the International Academy of Sciences)

Mohamed Sukru Guzel