UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2019) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hopes that High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and the government of China will decide on her official visit to the country in regards to alleged abuses against the Muslim populations in the Xingjian region, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Monday.
"The Secretary-General hopes very much that it will be a positive outcome to the ongoing dialogue between the high commissioner for human rights and the People's Republic of China for arranging for a trip to China by the high commissioner for human rights," Dujarric said.
The spokesman said that Guterres believes that in China, human rights and the country's unity and territorial integrity must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
"Each community must feel that its identity is respected and fully belongs to the nation as a whole," Dujarric added.
In late August 2018, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reported that large numbers of ethnic Uighurs and other Muslim minorities were held in political "re-education camps" in Xinjiang and often for long periods, without being charged or tried, under the pretext of countering terrorism and religious extremism. Commenting on the issue, the Chinese foreign ministry stressed the lack of evidence and information discrepancy with reality.
According to the Chinese authorities, they established vocational education and training centers for people to learn the language and law, and gain some professional skills. They also help strengthen the resistance to extremism and terrorism.
