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dpa
Geneva
After years of negotiations on the modalities of a visit, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Michelle Bachelet plans to travel to China in May.
She will also travel to Xinjiang province, Bachelet said at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.
Human rights organizations accuse China of harassing members of the Muslim Uighur minority there. China denies this. An advance team is to prepare the visit in April and also travel to Xinjiang.
China had responded to the office’s requirements for a visit, the high commission spokeswoman said afterwards. This includes ensuring that Bachelet and her team have unfettered access to and can speak freely with the desired interlocutors, including representatives of civil society.
Bachelet said at the UN Human Rights Council that she was concerned about the treatment of people who openly raise human rights issues or criticize the authorities. Some have been sentenced or placed under house arrest as a result, she said. She called on China to respect and protect the right to expression.
According to reports by human rights groups, hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other members of minorities have been put into re-education camps in Xinjiang in recent years. There are allegations of torture, ill-treatment and indoctrination. In Xinjiang, there are tensions between the ruling Han Chinese and ethnic minorities. Uighurs complain of cultural and religious oppression. Beijing accuses them of separatism and terrorism.
Bachelet has commissioned a report on the situation in Xinjiang. For months, human rights activists have been waiting for its publication.
Geneva
After years of negotiations on the modalities of a visit, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Michelle Bachelet plans to travel to China in May.
She will also travel to Xinjiang province, Bachelet said at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.
Human rights organizations accuse China of harassing members of the Muslim Uighur minority there. China denies this. An advance team is to prepare the visit in April and also travel to Xinjiang.
China had responded to the office’s requirements for a visit, the high commission spokeswoman said afterwards. This includes ensuring that Bachelet and her team have unfettered access to and can speak freely with the desired interlocutors, including representatives of civil society.
Bachelet said at the UN Human Rights Council that she was concerned about the treatment of people who openly raise human rights issues or criticize the authorities. Some have been sentenced or placed under house arrest as a result, she said. She called on China to respect and protect the right to expression.
According to reports by human rights groups, hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other members of minorities have been put into re-education camps in Xinjiang in recent years. There are allegations of torture, ill-treatment and indoctrination. In Xinjiang, there are tensions between the ruling Han Chinese and ethnic minorities. Uighurs complain of cultural and religious oppression. Beijing accuses them of separatism and terrorism.
Bachelet has commissioned a report on the situation in Xinjiang. For months, human rights activists have been waiting for its publication.
