Forty-three countries have called on China to "ensure full respect for the rule of law" for the Muslim Uyghur community in Xinjiang, in a statement read at the United Nations on Thursday that sparked outrage from Beijing.

The declaration, signed by the United States as well as several European and Asian member states and others, accused China of a litany of human rights violations against the Uyghurs, including torture, forced sterilization and forced disappearances.

"We call on China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and her office," the countries said in a joint statement, read at the United Nations by France.

"We are particularly concerned about the situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region," the statement continued, citing "credible" reports that "indicate the existence of a large network of 'political reeducation' camps where over a million people have been arbitrarily detained."

Beijing has long denied accusations of ethnic cleansing against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic people in Xinjiang, where experts have estimated that more than one million people are incarcerated in camps.

Its ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun furiously denounced Thursday what he termed the "lies" and "a plot to hurt China".

"Xinjiang enjoys development and the people are emancipating themselves every day and are proud of the progress made," he said.

And while Zhang told media that China was willing to host a "friendly" visit to the region, he did not agree to an inquiry by the UN human rights commissioner.

He accused Washington, Paris and London of having a "terrible human rights record."

In a statement to media, Beijing accused the US for "inhumane ethnic cleansing" against Native Americans and accused France of committing "crimes against humanity" in its former colonies.

Similar declarations in 2019 and 2020 condemned China for its policies in Xinjiang, where United States has accused Beijing of carrying out genocide.

China has in response upped pressure on UN member states not to support the declarations, according to diplomats.

Related Links
News From Across The Stans

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

NATO chief urges allies to overcome Afghanistan strains
Brussels (AFP) Oct 20, 2021
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged members not to let disagreements over the departure from Afghanistan divide the alliance, as defence ministers look to take stock of what went wrong. The Taliban swept to power in the country after NATO troops withdrew on the back of a decision by US President Joe Biden to end Washington's longest war. The collapse of the government after 20 years of Western military involvement sparked criticism from some allies of the US over the manner of its d ... read more