published by, Deblina Day
Last Update: March 06, 2023, 23:44 IST
Ethnic Uyghur protesters take part in a protest against China near the Chinese consulate on December 4, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Representational image REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya)
The findings by a UN-appointed group of independent experts follow a series of Geneva hearings last month, where rights groups raised a range of topics, including Beijing’s COVID-19 policies, its treatment of human rights defenders and its Muslim minority.
A UN committee said Monday it was concerned about China’s treatment of its Muslim minorities, including its use of forced labor against Uighurs, in a comprehensive report that called on Beijing to improve its human rights record. puts pressure on.
The findings by a UN-appointed group of independent experts follow a series of Geneva hearings last month, where rights groups raised a range of topics, including Beijing’s Covid-19 policies, its treatment of human rights defenders and its Muslim minority.
Last year, a report by the UN human rights chief said China’s treatment of Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority numbering about 10 million in Xinjiang in the country’s far west, amounted to a crime against humanity. can constitute.
China vehemently denies the allegations.
The 18-member UN committee that monitors countries’ compliance under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights expressed concern over “multiple indications of coercive measures, including forced labour” against ethnic minorities, including Uyghurs.
It called on Beijing to immediately pass a law banning coercive measures; abolition of all systems of bonded labour; and release all persons subject to it.
China issued an 11-page response to the report, saying it would carefully study the recommendations and was ready to implement any “that suit China’s national realities”.
The committee also called for an end to “systematic” retaliation and prosecutions against human rights defenders and lawyers working in the region. It similarly expressed concern about rising mental health problems following the country’s long lockdown under its strict zero-Covid policy, which ended the previous day. year, and demanded more funding for the sector.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)