UN Human Rights Council rejects debate on Xinjiang

Countries on the 47-member council in Geneva voted 19-17 against discussing the draft, with 11 nations abstaining.

Michelle Bachelet published the report minutes before her term ended on August 31. Picture: AFP

The world’s biggest Islamic nation and Australia’s neighbour, Indonesia, has sided with China to prevent a UN Human Rights Council debate on China’s treatment of its Uighur Muslims in its northwest Xinjiang region.

Australia’s human rights envoy, Amanda Gorley, expressed disappointment at the council’s failure in Geneva, by a narrow 17-19 vote, to allow consideration of a damning report on human rights violations in Xinjiang.

“The Australian government will continue to raise the human rights situation in Xinjiang with China and on the world stage,” Ms Gorley tweeted.

Islamic nations Pakistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates also joined with China, while Ukraine and Australia’s Quad partner, India, were among 11 nations that abstained.

The US and its allies last month brought a draft decision targeting China to the UN’s top rights body, seeking an examination of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The council’s vote came after former UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet released her long-delayed Xinjiang report, citing possible crimes against humanity by the Chinese state against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities.

Australia joined the US, UK, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Lithuania to try to call out China for the treatment of its citizens in Xinjiang, amid intense lobbying by Beijing to justify its treatment of its ethnic minorities.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying welcomed the latest vote, describing it as “a victory for developing countries and a victory for truth and justice”.

Amnesty International branded the vote of the 47-nation body farcical, while Human Rights Watch said it betrayed abuse victims.

“The United States condemns today’s vote preventing a discussion about Xinjiang,” US ambassador to the council Michele Taylor tweeted.

Joining Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar and the UAE in voting with China were; Bolivia, Cameroon, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Senegal, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

Argentina, Armenia, Benin, Brazil, The Gambia, India, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico and Ukraine abstained.

The draft decision was put forward by the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Turkey, among others.

Ms Bachelet’s report, published just minutes before her term as UN human rights chief ended on August 31, highlighted “credible” allegations of widespread torture, arbitrary detention and violations of religious and reproductive rights.

It brought UN endorsement to long-running allegations that Beijing detained more than one million Uighurs and other Muslims, and forcibly sterilised women.

Beijing vehemently rejected the charges, insisting it was ­running vocational training centres in the region to counter extremism.

Amnesty secretary-general Agnes Callamard said Thursday’s vote put the council in “the farcical position of ignoring the findings of the UN’s own human rights office”.

“For council member states to vote against even discussing a situation where the UN itself says crimes against humanity may have occurred makes a mockery of everything the Human Rights Council is supposed to stand for,” Dr Callamard said

HRW’s China director, Sophie Richardson, called it an “abdication of responsibility and a betrayal of Uighur victims”.

The International Service for Human Rights’ China advocate, Raphael Viana David, said: “Council members sent today a dreadful message: China remains so far untouchable.”

Indonesian ambassador Febrian Ruddyard said: “As the world’s largest Muslim country and a vibrant democracy, we cannot close our eyes to the plight of our Muslim brothers and sisters”.

But, as China did not consent, a discussion “will not yield meaningful progress”, hence Indonesia voted “no”.