China interrupts Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa talking about human rights situation at UNHRC

We welcome the High Commissioner’s update on the urgent human rights situation in the Uyghur Region.

The increased calls from UN Special Rapporteurs and the numerous reports on the crimes against humanity and genocide perpetrated against the Uyghur and Turkic people, inlcuding the OHCHR report require the immediate and urgent attention of the Human Rights Council.

Last October, we saw the defeat of a resolution merely calling for a debate on the human rights situation in the region. However, many member states have voted against or abstained. We deplore that this Council was unable to support this key resolution, and we strongly condemn the countries who blocked this proposal, particularly the leading OIC States, Indonesia, Qatar, as well as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Sudan, Gabon, Cameroon and Eritrea. We applaud Somalia for being the only Muslim Council member to vote in favour.

These situations put the Council’s legitimacy at serious risk.

Last month, during the UN CESCR review on China, the government has admitted that Uyghurs and other Turkic people are sent to camps for ‘’minor offences’’ that do not constitute crimes. However, official leaked documents indicate that these individuals are serving lenghty sentences on charges related to “terrorism’’. We remind this Council that the “de-extremification’’ policies implemented by the Chinese government are nor proportional, legal or necessary.

Lastly, we call on the High Commissioner to adopt a principled approach to China throughout his mandate, and to brief this Council on the OHCHR report. Victims and human rights defenders must be heard.