Australia joins United Nations condemnation of China’s Uighur ‘re-education camps’

Almost 40 countries say camps where more than a million Uighurs are believed detained are a ‘gross violation of human rights’.

A screengrab of a video showing blindfolded and shackled Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang Province. Picture: YouTube

Australia has joined with 38 other countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn “gross human rights violations” by China in Xinjiang, where more than a million Uighurs are believed to be detained in “re-education” camps.

In a statement delivered by Germany, the predominantly European group of nations expressed “grave concerns” over China’s treatment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, and its security crackdown in Hong Kong.

The countries called out China’s targeting of Uighurs in Xinjiang through widespread surveillance and curbs on freedom of religion, and noted increasing reports of forced labour and forced sterilisation.

They called on China “to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access” to Xinjiang by independent observers, and to guarantee freedom of speech and freedom of assembly to the people of Hong Kong.

“We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the recent developments in Hong Kong,” the countries said.

“We call on China to respect human rights, particularly the rights of persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities, especially in Xinjiang and Tibet.

“On Xinjiang, we are gravely concerned about the existence of a large network of ‘political re-education’ camps where credible reports indicate that over a million people have been arbitrarily detained.

Chinese flags are seen on a road leading to a facility believed to be a re-education camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, on the outskirts of Hotan in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. Picture: Greg Baker/AFP

“We have seen an increasing number of reports of gross human rights violations. There are severe restrictions on freedom of religion or belief and the freedoms of movement, association, and expression as well as on Uyghur culture.

“Widespread surveillance disproportionately continues to target Uyghurs and other minorities and more reports are emerging of forced labour and forced birth control including sterilisation.”

The countries called for China to uphold Hong Kong’s autonomy, and guarantee the rights and freedoms of its people agreed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

“We have deep concerns about elements of the National Security Law that allow for certain cases to be transferred for prosecution to the Chinese mainland,” the statement said.

Human Rights Watch’s Australian director Elaine Pearson said the statement was “a stinging rebuke” of China’s “brutal treatment of Uighurs”, and the people of Hong Kong and Tibet.

“These countries took a stand despite China’s persistent threats and intimidation tactics against those who speak out,” she said.

“Their growing outrage signals the urgent need for the UN leadership to create an international mechanism to monitor and report on the increasingly dire rights situation across China.”

In addition to Australia and Germany, the following countries backed the statement: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Monaco, Nauru, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.