Xinjiang: UN refuses to discuss abuses committed by China

The United States had requested, on September 26, 2022, a debate at the UN Human Rights Council on China, because of the human rights situation in the Xinjiang region © Ozan Kose/ AFP

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The UN refused Thursday, October 6 to discuss the abuses of which Beijing is accused in its Xinjiang province.

A victory for China and a setback for the United States, which sees in it an admission of paralysis of the Human Rights Council. 

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With our correspondent in Geneva,

Jérémie Lanche

This is called a first class burial.

To the chagrin of the United States and Europeans, outvoted on their vision of human rights, the UN Human Rights Council refused Thursday, October 6 to discuss Xinjiang at its next session. 

Neither flowers nor wreaths.

This could be the subtitle

of the UN report on Xinjiang

, which refers to possible crimes against humanity.

He now has very little chance of resurfacing at the Human Rights Council, despite repeated alerts from NGOs about the forced internment of the Uyghur minority by China.

By 19 votes against and 17 for, its members refused to discuss the treatment of the Uyghur minority by Beijing during the next session of the Council.

This is a historic defeat for Western countries, now a minority to consider that human rights are universal.

A "

betrayal for the victims

"

Even if the British ambassador, Simon Manley, refuses to speak of a failure: " 

We must remember that this is the first time in the history of the Human Rights Council that we have put on the table a decision with regard to China.

This report is not buried at all, we have not given up, and we will continue to shed light on the massive human rights violations in Xinjiang.

»

Westerners have therefore failed to convince other states that the seriousness of the situation requires talking about Xinjiang.

Even if that was not, formally, within the mandate of the Council. 

Or was it China that was able to exert sufficiently intense pressure on the States, particularly in Africa, to dissuade them from voting for the text?

Human Rights Watch denounces this evening a "

 betrayal for the Uyghur victims

 ".

►

 To read also:

Covid-19: in Xinjiang, hungry and confined residents ask for help on the networks

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