U.K. response to my question about what action they intend to take following the publication of the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the repression of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang and the finding of evidence of crimes against humanity.
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL2289):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool :
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the United Nations report OHCHR Assessment of human rights concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China, published on 31 August; and what discussions they intend to have with the government of China in response. (HL2289)
Tabled on: 08 September 2022
Answer:
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park:
The report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights provides new evidence of the extent of China’s efforts to silence and repress Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. It includes a broad range of evidence, including first-hand accounts from victims.
The UK has already led international efforts to pressure China to change its behaviour. We have imposed sanctions, led joint statements at the UN, taken action to tackle forced labour in supply chains, funded research to expose China’s actions, and consistently raised China’s human rights violations at the highest levels in Beijing.
We have raised the report’s findings with the Chinese Embassy in London as well as senior officials in Beijing. We are now considering appropriate next steps with our international partners.
Date and time of answer: 29 Sep 2022 at 12:44.
