By Emma Farge
GENEVAAug 25 – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Thursday that she still aims to release a long-awaited report on China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority in Xinjiang by the end of her term next week in a context of “tremendous pressure” from all parties.
However, the lack of a firm commitment by former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet at her latest press conference fueled criticism from civil society for going too soft on China during a visit earlier this year.
The report is three years in the making and has been promised for months, but has not been released for unclear reasons.
“We are trying to do what I promised,” Bachelet told a news conference in Geneva, referring to the promise to publish it before the end of her term on August 31.
Asked to explain why it had not been released, he said he needed time to integrate the new information gained from his May visit and to review China’s input on the content of the report.
Human rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses against Uyghurs living in the western region of Xinjiang, including the massive use of forced labor in internment camps.
China has strongly denied accusations of state persecution against the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority of about 10 million people.
Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said Bachelet’s response was “woefully inadequate” given the scale of the abuses.
Michele Taylor, the US ambassador for human rights in Geneva, called for the report’s release, saying “the world deserves an independent and honest account” of the situation.
APRESSURETREMENDOUS
Reuters reported last month that Beijing had asked Bachelet to shelve the report, according to a Chinese letter that was confirmed by diplomats from the countries that received it.
Bachelet confirmed on Thursday that she had received that letter, which she said was signed by some 40 other states and added that her office would not respond to such pressure.
“I have been under tremendous pressure to publish or not publish, but I will not publish or withhold publication due to any such pressure,” he said.
Although it is normal practice for Bachelet’s office to share an unpublished report with the country in question, rights groups fear this gives China a chance to shape its content.
“Our concern is that the longer the report is not released, the more likely it will be whitewashed,” said Renee Xia, director of the China Human Rights Defenders Network.
In her closing speech, Bachelet also called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the attack on Ukraine.
Bachelet, 70, plans to return to Chile to retire. Many candidates have applied for the post, but Secretary-General António Guterres has not yet named his successor, whose choice must be approved by the General Assembly in New York.
Bachelet, the eighth High Commissioner, said she was proud of the progress made in abolishing the death penalty and recognizing environmental rights, but said she felt limited by the restrictions of the covid-19 that prevented more visits to the countries.
“It’s really very frustrating sometimes not being able to go much further. Sometimes you feel like the world isn’t getting any better,” she said.
