Australia, the United States and 13 other countries criticized China at the United Nations on Tuesday over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Tibet, prompting China to denounce them for ignoring the “living hell” in the Gaza Strip.
Clashes over China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslims have become a common occurrence at both the United Nations in New York and the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
A U.N. report released two years ago said China’s “arbitrary and discriminatory detention” of Uyghurs and other Muslims in its Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity. It said that “serious human rights violations” had been committed.
“We urge China to uphold the international human-rights obligations that it has voluntarily assumed, and to implement all U.N. recommendations,” Australia’s U.N. Ambassador James Larsen told the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee.
“This includes releasing all individuals arbitrarily detained in both Xinjiang and Tibet, and urgently clarifying the fate and whereabouts of missing family members,” Larsen said.
He spoke on behalf of Australia, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Britain.
Beijing has long denied all allegations of abuse of Uyghurs. China’s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong on Tuesday accused the group of Western states of resorting “to lies to provoke confrontations.”
“The human-rights situation that should gather the most attention at the committee this year is undoubtedly that of Gaza,” he said. “Australia and the U.S., among a few others, played down this living hell, while unleashing attacks and smears against the peaceful and tranquil Xinjiang.”
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Good point. Committing genocide is completely justifiable as long as you’re not the only one doing it.
Yeah lol. I’m not usually one for whattaboutism but it is extremely hypocritical to be currently engaged in providing arms to and siding with an extermination and talk about a different human rights violation that isn’t ours. The tragic and indefensible actions from the past such as Tienanmen Square or the Tuskegee experiments can never be erased but should be used as references for things from our history to not repeat. Mao Zedong initiated the Great Leap Forward policy that lead to the death of 45 million people and their culture and heritage, some regard him as the best thing that could have happened to China by increasing the literacy and housing by a massive amount (which just happened to coincide with the 45 million deaths that are completely irrelevant), and now the U.S. is an aid in the same position Israel/Zionists razing Palestine.
The amount of culture and heritage already lost is appalling and it really is a “look in the mirror” moment for the U.S.
Relatedly unrelated: I think about the Uyghur and Syrian refugee’s often and am often saddened by how we did not give them refuge and some politicians like Ben Carson even insulting the refugees comparing them dogs.