Human rights chief ends China visit, saying it was not a probe
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet ended a controversial six-day visit to China on Saturday, saying she had held frank talks with Beijing and that it was “not an investigation”.
Bachelet, the top official of the UN’s Geneva-based human rights office, told a virtual press conference that she had visited Kashgar prison and the Kashgar Experimental School in the Xinjiang region, where human rights campaigners accuse China of widescale abuses against Uyghurs and other minority groups, including the torture, forced labour and detention of some one million people in internment camps.
China says the camps are re-education and training facilities and denies any abuse, saying it is fighting terrorism and religious extremism.
Last year, Switzerland was among 40 countries that put pressure on Beijing to allow Bachelet “meaningful and unfettered” access to Xinjiang. However, the terms agreed by Beijing and Bachelet’s office for this visit were not made public. The US State Department and some human rights groups urged her to call it off, for fear that it could be used as Chinese government propaganda. Coinciding with the visit, international media released hacked Chinese police documentsExternal link said to show the scale of abuse in Xinjiang detention camps, including a shoot-to-kill policy for those who try to escape.
Tibet, Hong Kong and the death penalty
Bachelet met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (virtually) as well as other national and regional officials, civil society, women’s groups and business leaders.
“Official visits by a High Commissioner are by their nature high-profile and simply not conducive to the kind of detailed, methodical, discreet work of an investigative nature,” she told the press. “The visit was an opportunity to hold direct discussions – with China’s most senior leaders – on human rights (…) with a view to supporting China in fulfilling its obligations under international human rights law.”
She said she had urged Beijing to review all counter terrorism and deradicalization policies to ensure “that they are not applied in an arbitrary and discriminatory way” and to provide information to Uyghur families who have lost contact with their loved ones. Bachelet told the press she had also raised human rights concerns with regard to Tibet, Hong Kong and the death penalty.
More
More
Uyghurs in focus as UN human rights chief visits China
This content was published on
Michelle Bachelet to become first UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit China since 2005 during a six-day official mission.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
How China infiltrates Switzerland
This content was published on
A documentary by Swiss public television, RTS, looks at how China has been infiltrating Switzerland and exerting its power on Swiss territory.
This content was published on
The UN wants to look into reports that over a million people have been unlawfully detained, with some subjected to torture or forced labour.
This content was published on
The Swiss government says its first ever China strategy is intended to create “greater coherence" in its relations with Beijing.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.