UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk stated that serious concerns such as arbitrary detentions and family separations have been documented in East Turkistan, and called for concrete follow-up.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk attended the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council and presented the report of the UN Human Rights Office. In his statement, Volker Turk said his office had opened "communication channels" to help follow up on concerns about the basic human rights of Turkic Uyghurs and Tibetans.
Serious concerns have been documented
Turk noted that the UN human rights office had documented serious concerns such as arbitrary detentions and family breakdowns in East Turkistan in its August Uyghur Human Rights Report, and called for "concrete follow-up". The report concluded that "crimes against humanity" were committed against the Turkic Uyghurs and other groups in the region.
Turk also expressed concerns about the impact of the national security law that sparked mass protests in Hong Kong. "We have opened channels of communication with a number of actors to pursue various human rights issues related to China, including the protection of Tibetans, Uyghurs and other groups," he said.
Experts call to stop aggression "immediately"
Last week, UN-backed experts called on China to increase the independence of its courts, share data on the Chinese virus Covid-19, suspend construction of coal plants and "immediately" end human rights abuses in East Turkistan.