Uyghurs in focus as UN human rights chief visits China
Michelle Bachelet has been urged by human rights campaigners to challenge China over their treatment of Uyghur minorities.
Keystone / Martial Trezzini
Michelle Bachelet will become the first United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit China since 2005 during a six-day official mission that starts on May 23.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Português
pt
Chefe dos direitos humanos da ONU vai abordar situação de uigures na China
Bachelet will visit Guangzhou, Kashgar and Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, it was announced by the Geneva-based Commissioner’s office on Friday.
The mission has special significance as human rights campaigners accuse China of widescale abuses against Uyghurs and other minority groups, including the torture, forced labour and detention of one million people in internment camps.
China says the camps are re-education and training facilities and denies any abuse, saying it is fighting religious extremism.
Last year, Switzerland was among 40 countries that put pressure on Beijing to allow Bachelet “meaningful and unfettered” access to Xinjiang.
However, it is not known what type of access the Chinese authorities will grant to Bachelet or whether she will be able to freely speak to Uyghur people.
The NGO Human Rights Watch is wary of Chinese orchestration after Beijing insisted that the mission should constitute nothing more than a “friendly visit”.
“The Chinese government is committing human rights violations on a scope and scale unimaginable since the last time a high commissioner visited in 2005, partly because there is no fear of accountability,” Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, stated on Friday. “The high commissioner needs to work to end, not enable, that perception.”
Bachelet is due to meet with civil society organisations, business representatives and academics and deliver a lecture to students at Guangzhou University.
A five-person United Nations team has been in China since April 25 to prepare for the mission. They have visited Guangzhou and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
At the end of her mission, Bachelet will issue a statement and is scheduled to hold a press conference on May 28.
More
More
What to expect from the UN Human Rights Office’s visit to China?
This content was published on
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will visit China, but can she get an accurate picture of the situation?
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
This content was published on
Swiss wheelchair racer Catherine Debrunner won the 5,000 metres to bring home Switzerland’s first gold medal at the Paralympics in Paris.
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.
China slams Switzerland for ‘interfering in internal affairs’
This content was published on
China has attacked Switzerland and 26 other countries for criticising a sweeping new national security law imposed on Hong Kong.
The Swiss textile machinery industry has a China dilemma
This content was published on
Amid allegations of forced labour in Xinjiang, the Swiss textile machinery sector faces thorny questions about its ties to and reliance on China.
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.
Swiss signal more criticism of China but no changes to trade policy
This content was published on
The Swiss government appears more concerned about the human rights situation in China, but it has no plans to distance itself from the country.
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.