Munich [Germany], September 1 : Four years after the UN human rights office warned that abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan may amount to crimes against humanity, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) says China has faced little meaningful international accountability and has continued to intensify its repression.
In a press release, WUC stated that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), under former High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, issued its landmark assessment in August 2022, documenting arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions, credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and incidents of sexual violence.
The assessment concluded that the violations "may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity."
The report called on Beijing to release arbitrarily detained people, clarify the whereabouts of missing family members, end reprisals against Uyghur advocates, cooperate with international labour standards, and provide remedies and reparations to victims.
China rejected the assessment, and the recommendations have largely remained unimplemented.
"Four years of inaction has enabled the Chinese government to further avoid international accountability and strengthen its repression in East Turkistan," WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun stated.
The organisation stated that Beijing has since expanded policies targeting Uyghur identity and society.
It pointed to the new Ethnic Unity Law, which entered into force on July 1, saying the legislation further advances the government's assimilation campaign against Uyghur cultural, linguistic and religious identity.
The WUC also accused China of formalising transnational repression against Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongolians and Chinese dissidents living abroad.
International scrutiny has continued through UN mechanisms.
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights reviewed China in March 2023, while the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women raised concerns in May 2023 over arbitrary detention, torture, forced sterilisation, family separation and forced labour affecting Uyghur women.
China also faced criticism over alleged atrocity crimes during its 2024 Universal Periodic Review.