10/07/2022

A victory for those who justify genocide crimes

China blocks UN debate on Uyghurs

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has criticized the outcome of yesterday’s vote in the UN Human Rights Council. Several authoritarian regimes had blocked a debate on the Chinese government’s crimes against the Muslim Turkic peoples in the region of Xinjiang / East Turkestan: “The vote was won, with 19 to 17 votes, by a coalition of states that are opposed to human rights and that commit crimes against their own people – under the guise of ‘state sovereignty’ and without any consequences,” explained Hanno Schedler, STP expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. “Yesterday clearly showed the extent of China’s global influence: more and more states are tolerating the country’s policy of genocide. At the same time, more and more states are openly criticizing the annihilation policy of Xi Jinping and his Communist Party. Somalia was the only Muslim-dominated country that voted in favor of a debate. For the Uyghur people, the lack of support by their religious community is extremely disappointing.”

In Geneva, eleven members had abstained from voting on a resolution concerning the situation in Xinjiang – including India and Armenia. Qatar, which will soon be hosting the Football World Cup, voted against the resolution. “The two major sports events of 2022 were and will be hosted by dictatorial states. China, the host country of the Winter Olympics, is committing genocide against the Muslim Uyghurs – and Qatar voted against a debate on the crimes of the Chinese government. Those who are backing Qatar should apologize to the victims,” added Tabea Giesecke, STP expert on ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities. “For the regime in Qatar, Islam is nothing more than an instrument of power. In order to suppress religious and sexual minorities, the emirate uses an extreme interpretation of Islam, while at the same time – on the level of the UN – supporting the Chinese government’s systematical measures to oppress the Muslim Uyghurs. The fact that Qatar is able to host the Football World Cup is a scandal, as became clear once again yesterday,” Giesecke added.

The German government, which supported the resolution and has been advocating for the Uyghurs, the Tibetans, and other communities within China, will now have to show even more commitment on a bilateral level: “In the course of his visit to China, planned for the coming months, Chancellor Scholz should publicly demand Xi Jinping to stop the persecution of the Uyghur people. Other states, especially smaller ones, are watching closely what Europe’s largest economy is doing,” Schedler emphasized. “The Chinese government celebrated yesterday’s vote as a victory for the developing countries – and for truth and justice. Scholz should use every opportunity to contradict these lies, including the upcoming press conference with Xi. China is a colonial power that treats Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongols, and Kazakhs as inferior.”