Asia (bbabo.net), - The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) has withdrawn from debate on alleged abuses in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region due to more votes against the discussion. This was announced today, October 7, gazeta.uz reports with reference to the press service of the Council.
According to the press service, during the voting held on Thursday as part of the 51st session of the UNHRC in Geneva, 17 countries voted in favor, 11 abstained and 19 countries, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, voted against.
The vote was reportedly preceded by heated debate, during which several member states of the Council expressed their positions on the draft resolution, submitted by the United States, co-sponsored by the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Australia and Lithuania.
As US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council Michelle Taylor said, evidence of human rights violations in Xinjiang was recorded in a UN report published more than a month ago. In this regard, she considered it important to have a debate on this issue in a neutral forum.
An August report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) cited alleged crimes against Uyghurs and other Muslim communities. The Chinese Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva condemned the report and strongly opposed its publication. Chinese diplomats spoke of a campaign of disinformation and lies fabricated by anti-Chinese forces and interference in the internal affairs of the PRC.
“If China is the target today, every other developing country will be the target tomorrow. Allowing the adoption of such a draft decision is tantamount to supporting Western interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of issues related to Xinjiang, and in the long term will harm the work of the Council and the international cause of human rights," said Chen Xu, then the representative of the People's Republic of China.
It is worth noting that earlier the head of the OHCHR, Michelle Bachelet, spoke about the pressure exerted on her from all sides in connection with her report on Xinjiang, which she wanted to publish before the end of her term on August 31. Bachelet was in China from 23 to 28 May. At a meeting with her, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China hopes her visit will help dispel lies and rumors about China's human rights situation.
bbabo.Net