Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL13781):
Question by lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of China about (1) the BBC report on the treatment of Uighur women in Xianjiang who said they had been subject to sexual violence in re-education camps, published on 2 February, and (2) its decision to ban BBC World News broadcasts; and what plans they have to raise these issues as a breach of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the UN Human Rights Council. (HL13781)
Tabled on: 02 March 2021
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
As Minister Adams said in the House of Commons on 4 February, the BBC report of 3 February includes deeply distressing testimony of the rape, torture and dehumanisation of Uyghur women in Xinjiang detention centres. It is a further, compelling addition to the growing body of evidence of the gross human rights violations being perpetrated against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang. The Government has raised the specific allegations in the BBC report with the Chinese Embassy in London. The Government has also raised China’s decision to ban BBC World News in mainland China – an unacceptable curtailing of media freedom – directly with the Chinese authorities.
We continue to play a leading role in holding China to account for human rights violations, working closely with international partners, including at the UN. On 22 February, during his high level statement to the Human Rights Council, the Foreign Secretary underlined the need for urgent and unfettered access to Xinjiang for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights or another independent fact-finding expert.
Date and time of answer: 16 Mar 2021 at 16:04.
