By Goodhope Dlangamandla
02:09:2022

China’s detention of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in the north-western region of East Turkestan may amount to crimes against humanity, following the United Nations Human Rights office release of its long-awaited report on Wednesday titled “OHCHR Assessment of Human Rights Concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.”

The 45-page report, which is in PDF format, called on Beijing to immediately release all individuals deprived of Liberty to clarify the whereabouts of those whose families have been unable to locate them and to undertake a full review of its laws on domestic security and repeal all discriminatory laws.

In response to the ruling of the report, during a discussion with Radio Islam International, Arslan Hidayat says that for the first time, the UN is taking a stance on what has been happening in it Turkistan, not to the level they would like to see because there have been other reports. An independent tribunal has said there is genocide and crimes against humanity in East Turkistan.

However, the report says China has been committing serious human rights violations under the guise of fighting terrorism and extremism.

He says it addresses issues such as arbitrary detention, sexual torture, physical torture, and the persecution that has been happening, but a very sober assessment of what’s happening—adding that it opens the door for further investigation into what is happening.

He added that the UN could have used stronger language to highlight what is happening on the ground; this is still bad news for China.

“The UN, but not strong enough,” said Mr Hidayat.

He said that the report came at the right time; as per his assessment, the delay was a way of giving China time to send in their rebuttal.

“China themselves sent in a 131-page rebuttal on the 45-page UN report. I believe that was the case. And it’s clear to see that China has influenced the report as well. So, it was for the UN to update it to include China’s findings as well; therefore, that is why you see a sort of softened down diluted version of the report itself.” he said.

He emphasised that if the world will not do anything about the report, then all the findings would have been for nothing if people did not react.

“If we twiddle our thumbs, and we continue to just sit, I mean, the international community already has a lot of evidence in the report that it can use against China’s genocide while this report on legal rights is important,” he said.

“It is an important step in acknowledging this genocide in the UN and solidifies that it is indeed happening. But again, if the world doesn’t act, it doesn’t; this report doesn’t mean anything. If there is no action taken,” he said.

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