UN to Release Report on CCP’s Persecution of Uyghurs

Michelle Bachelet, the top UN human rights official, is expected to unveil a formal inquiry into the widespread incarceration of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities next week.

According to media reports, the investigation has the potential to change the way the international community and senior UN officials handle the testimony of Uighur survivors and their families, and the need for greater accountability in a way the UN system has not done before.

For some time, however, Bachelet has been accused by human rights groups and academic experts of being soft on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) following a controversial visit to China in May.

Her critics say she has had an unsuccessful opportunity to draw attention to the horrific human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Government, and she has failed to condemn the regime’s widespread abuse of Uighurs.

The report has been on hold for a long time. Bachelet said in September 2021 that her office was ‘finalizing its assessment,’ and in December a representative said they expected it to be released in the coming weeks. However, for mysterious reasons, the report has not been released for several months.

Beijing denies all claims that it abuses Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. However, a recent report by an independent UN expert said the Chinese authorities is implementing a forced labor program in Xinjiang that could amount to a crime against humanity.