Beijing: Muslim leaders from the Xinjiang region rejected Western allegations that China is suppressing religious freedom, speaking at a reception
Beijing: Muslim leaders from the Xinjiang region rejected Western allegations that China is suppressing religious freedom, speaking at a reception Thursday for foreign diplomats and media at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The event was the latest in a series of moves by the Chinese government to counter accusations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. It came a day after human rights groups and Western nations demanded unfettered access for UN human rights experts to the region and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned China for crimes against humanity and genocide against Muslim Uyghurs during the release of an annual report on international religious freedom. The Uyghurs are a mostly Muslim ethnic group in Xinjiang, a remote northwest region where China has been accused of mass incarcerations, forced labour and forced sterilization in recent years as it imposed a strict security regime after a series of terrorist attacks.
