Geneva [Switzerland], September 10 : China faced renewed criticism at the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, with World Uyghur Congress Vice President Zumret Erkin warning that serious abuses against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim communities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region continue nearly a decade after Beijing launched its mass internment campaign.
Speaking in a video statement on behalf of the Society for Threatened Peoples, Erkin referred to the UN human rights office’s assessment published on August 31, 2022, which concluded that the scale of arbitrary, inhumane and discriminatory detention of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim groups “may amount to crimes against humanity.”
Erkin said that as the 10th year since China began its mass internment campaign approaches, serious human rights violations remain ongoing, while what she described as coercive policies have become increasingly institutionalised across the region.
She highlighted concerns over alleged forced labour programmes in the Uyghur region. According to Erkin, UN experts have warned of a pattern of alleged state-imposed forced labour, while the region’s 2021-2025 five-year plan projected 13.75 million cases of labour transfers that she characterised as forced labour.
The International Labour Organization’s Committee of Experts, she added, had also noted reports that coercive labour-transfer programmes accelerated in 2024 and reached record levels in the region.
Erkin further criticised China’s Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which came into force on July 1. She argued that the legislation further institutionalises assimilationist policies and raises concerns over the protection of linguistic, cultural and religious rights among Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongols and other ethnic communities; according to her, the law will contribute to cultural erosion on a large scale.
The WUC vice president called on UN member states and the Human Rights Council to coordinate concrete accountability measures and establish meaningful avenues for justice and remedies for victims. Her remarks come amid continued international scrutiny of China’s policies in Xinjiang.