UN inspectors to be allowed to visit Xinjiang in light of recent human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims
London … News Time
The UK has urged China to allow UN inspectors to visit the province in the wake of recent human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in the Muslim-majority province of Xinjiang. According to the French news agency AFP, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab last week introduced new import regulations against companies that imported goods from Xinjiang where Uighurs are allegedly forced to work. Talking to a British broadcaster, the Foreign Minister mentioned forced labor, sterilization and human rights violations in Xinjiang. The foreign minister said it was up to the court to decide whether it was genocide or not, but that much had been done. I want to say that we do not want free trade agreements with countries that are involved in human rights violations to the extent of genocide.
According to AFP, he was referring to the European Union, which signed an investment agreement with China last month. Dominic Raab’s government opposes parliamentary efforts to authorize the court to declare genocide in Xinjiang. If that happens, the British government will be barred from free trade agreements with China. However, speaking to Sky News, he said he agreed with the proposal and demanded that China be transparent about Xinjiang.
Human rights activists say there is a vast network of extrajudicial detention camps in Xinjiang that hold at least one million people. China has vehemently denied forcing Uighurs to work in Xinjiang, saying it has eliminated extremism from the region through training programs, employment schemes and better education. China says these are training centers for counter-extremism training.
