Ireland raises UN report accusing China of 'serious human rights violations' with authorities in Beijing

It emerged last month that China had objected to the release of the 48-page assessment and issued a 131-page rebuttal in response. Picture: AP

The Government said it has raised a damning UN report, which accuses China of “serious human rights violations”, with authorities in Beijing.

The UN Human Rights Office said the treatment of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim communities in the province of Xinjiang “may constitute” crimes against humanity.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it initiated its inquiries following serious allegations of human rights violations since late 2017.

The abuse claims were made particularly in the context of the Chinese Government’s policies and measures to combat terrorism and “extremism” in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet released the report just minutes before her four-year term ended on Wednesday night.

It emerged last month that China had objected to the release of the 48-page assessment and issued a 131-page rebuttal in response.

The UN report said: “Serious human rights violations have been committed in XUAR in the context of the Government’s application of counter-terrorism and counter-“extremism” strategies.

“The implementation of these strategies, and associated policies in XUAR has led to interlocking patterns of severe and undue restrictions on a wide range of human rights. These patterns of restrictions are characterized by a discriminatory component, as the underlying acts often directly or indirectly affect Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim communities.” The report was highly critical of so-called VETC (Vocational Education and Training Centre) facilities in the region.

“Allegations of patterns of torture or ill-treatment, including forced medical treatment and adverse conditions of detention, are credible, as are allegations of individual incidents of sexual and gender-based violence,” it said.

The report added: “The extent of arbitrary and discriminatory detention of members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups, pursuant to law and policy, in context of restrictions and deprivation more generally of fundamental rights enjoyed individually and collectively, may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.” 

Serious concerns

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it welcomed the assessment.

“The report reflects the longstanding and serious concerns of the international community, including Ireland,” it said.

It said it was continuing to examine carefully the findings of the assessment and its recommendations.

“Today, Ireland also raised the report directly with senior officials in Beijing," the department said. "We noted that the assessment contains a number of serious findings and urged China to give serious consideration to the assessment and the recommendations proposed by the OHCHR.” 

It said Ireland “strongly supports” the Office of the High Commissioner and the independence of the Office.

In its rebuttal to the report, the Chinese government said it opposed the release of the "so-called assessment", which it said ignored the human rights achievements by all ethnic groups in Xinjiang and the devastating impact of terrorism in the region.

"Based on the disinformation and lies fabricated by anti-China forces and out of presumption of guilt, the so-called 'assessment' distorts China's laws and policies, wantonly smears and slanders China and interferes in China's internal affairs," it said.

Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said: “This document lays bare the scale and severity of the human rights violations taking place in Xinjiang — which Amnesty International previously concluded amounted to crimes against humanity. There can be little doubt why the Chinese government fought so hard to pressure the UN to conceal it.

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“The inexcusable delay in releasing this report casts a stain on the OHCHR’s record, but this should not deflect from its significance. It mirrors reporting by Amnesty and other credible organisations documenting patterns of torture or ill-treatment as well as incidents of sexual and gender-based violence.

"Crucially, it finds that the ‘extent of arbitrary and discriminatory detention of members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups … may constitute ... crimes against humanity.’"