SW News: Amnesty International said that the one-year anniversary of a damning UN report on Xinjiang serves as a stark reminder of the need to hold China accountable for crimes against humanity in the face of a woefully inadequate response from the international community.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published its assessment of the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on August 31, 2022, concluding that Chinese government abuses against Uyghurs and Muslim minorities such as torture and mass detention in internment camps may constitute crimes against humanity.

Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for China, said the international community has shied away from the kind of resolute steps needed to advance justice, truth, and compensation for victims.

“Families of those who have been arbitrarily detained forcibly disappeared or mistreated want and deserve answers and accountability, not delays and compromises,” Brooks said.

The OHCHR's assessment was consistent with reporting from Amnesty International and other reliable organizations that detailed instances of sexual and gender-based violence, patterns of torture and other ill-treatment, and other human rights violations.

According to the UN assessment, members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups may be subject to arbitrary and discriminatory detention, which may constitute international crimes, including crimes against humanity.

The report also stated that the conditions remain in place for serious violations to continue and recur, which heightens the need for an immediate and successful response to the issue.

The anniversary of the report falls during the same week that President Xi Jinping made an unexpected trip to the city of Urumqi in Xinjiang, where he urged officials to tighten curbs on “illegal religious activities”.