A team from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is traveling to China on Sunday April 24 to prepare for the long-awaited visit of Michelle Bachelet, a spokeswoman in Geneva told AFP.
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The preparatory team of five people
", after a period of quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic, must "
visit the Uyghur autonomous region of Xinjiang
" (Northwest), said spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.
In early March, High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet announced that she had reached an agreement with the Chinese government "
for a visit
" to take her in particular to Xinjiang, where Beijing is accused of crimes against humanity against the Muslim minority. of the Uyghurs.
One million Uyghurs imprisoned
Several Western countries, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, have denounced an ongoing "
genocide
" against the Uyghurs.
Beijing formally denies.
The spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner pointed out that "
it is common practice to send a technical (preparatory) mission to countries where the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights does not have a 'an office
'.
This preparatory mission "
must make it possible to ensure genuine access which allows the Office of the High Commissioner to have a good understanding of the human rights situation in the country and to be able to discuss with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior government officials and civil society
,” said Ravina Shamdasani.
Besides the visit, Michelle Bachelet must also publish a report on Xinjiang.
This document, eagerly awaited by Westerners and NGOs, has not yet been made public, despite more or less discreet pressure.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador to the UN, had recently let Washington's impatience appear publicly.
In a tweet, she had “
urged
” Michelle Bachelet to publish this report, “
which was to be finalized in September 2021
”, and declared that a “
visit of the High Commissioner to China (should) benefit from unhindered access and unconditional
”.
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According to human rights organizations, at least a million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities, mainly Muslims, are or have been incarcerated in camps in Xinjiang, placed under close surveillance by the authorities.
Beijing disputes, saying that they are vocational training centers intended to keep them away from terrorism and separatism, after numerous deadly attacks attributed to Islamists or Uyghur separatists.
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