A first.

Russia and now China, two of the permanent members of the Security Council, are for the first time targeted by draft resolutions before the UN Human Rights Council.

Western countries and their allies had been reluctant for several months to attack these heavyweights on the world stage, fearing that they would not be able to build an alliance strong enough to have the texts approved by a majority of the 47 member states of the Council.

But NGOs have been mounting pressure for the UN's top human rights body to take an interest in Russia and China's northwest Xinjiang province, where Beijing is accused of committing crimes against humanity.

It is a “modest but essential step”, reacted John Fisher of the NGO Human Rights Watch.



Uncertainties on the outcome of the vote

The draft resolution follows the publication on August 31 of a report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Xinjiang which mentions possible “crimes against humanity” and “credible evidence”. of torture and sexual violence and calls on the international community to act.

For several years, China has been accused - with physical evidence and supporting documents - by Western countries and human rights organizations of having locked up in Xinjiang more than a million Uyghurs and other members of Muslim minorities, including Kazakhs, in camps.

For Russia, the resolution comes amid concerns over intensifying repression in the country as war rages in Ukraine

The two resolutions will be submitted to the vote of the 47 Member States of the Council on October 6 or 7.

But the outcome of the polls remains uncertain.

Unsurprisingly, Russia and China received support during the debates on Monday from countries such as Cuba and Venezuela, which are firmly opposed to any interference by the Council.

Other countries, such as Pakistan, which has a Muslim majority, have also maintained that the Xinjiang issue remains an "internal affair".

World

China: Can we dismiss the term "genocide" of the Uyghurs, as Jean-Luc Mélenchon does?

World

Persecution of Uyghurs: What consequences can European sanctions have?

  • World

  • Russia

  • China

  • Human rights

  • UN

  • Cuba

  • Pakistan

  • Venezuela