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The new U.N. human rights chief said Tuesday that his office has opened “channels of communication” to help follow up on concerns about the rights of minorities in China, including Uyghur Muslims and Tibetans. But this fell short of activists’ hopes for a stronger message to Beijing.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, in an address highly anticipated by rights advocates, didn’t detail how his office plans to follow up on a critical report on China’s western Xinjiang region published in August by his predecessor, Michelle Bachelet. That report cited possible “crimes against humanity” against Uyghurs and others in Xinjiang.
Türk noted that the U.N. rights office “documented grave concerns” like arbitrary detentions and family separations in China, and called for “concrete follow-up.” He also voiced concerns about the impact of the national security law in Hong Kong that fanned huge protests.
“Regarding China, we have opened up channels of communication with a range of actors to follow up on a variety of human rights issues, including the protection of minorities, such as for Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other groups,” Türk told the Human Rights Council’s latest session.
