A day before she leaves office, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has been recognized by international diplomats for her work – although her long-awaited report on the situation of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang region has still not been published is. The representatives of numerous countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva received the commissioner with praise and applause on Tuesday, but she was also confronted with critical questions after her report.
Bachelet had repeatedly assured that she would present a report on the human rights situation in Xinjiang before the end of her term on August 31. For years, the communist leadership in Beijing has been accused of systematically suppressing the Uyghur population and other Muslim minorities in the region. Hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and members of other minorities were reportedly sent to re-education camps. Several states speak of genocide.
Human rights activists are frustrated by the delay — Bachelet said almost a year ago her office was finalizing the report. In May, she traveled to China at the invitation of Beijing. She was then accused of not being harsh enough with the leadership in Beijing. Bachelet adopted terms from the communist regime at a press conference.
It is important that no state can escape an objective review of its human rights record, said Rita French, Britain’s representative at the Human Rights Council, on Tuesday. “We therefore urge you to publish your report on China,” she said. Human Rights Watch’s John Fisher acknowledged Bachelet’s achievements but warned, “All of that risks being eclipsed if you don’t release your report on Xinjiang before you leave office.”
Bachelet did not comment on the report on Tuesday. “We’re doing our best to keep our promise,” Bachelet said last week. She was “under tremendous pressure to publish or not to publish”. In addition, she had received “essential” documents from the Chinese government, which had to be examined “carefully”, as is always the case in such cases.
The delay also triggered criticism in Germany. The FDP member of the Bundestag, Ulrich Lechte, tweeted on Friday: “Expect Bachelet not to be politically exploited by China a second time. The report must be completed and published, otherwise it would be a farce.”
Former Green MP Margarete Bause wrote on the short message service on Tuesday: “What a tragedy!” The UN High Commissioner did not have the courage to publish the report on human rights crimes in Xinjiang. “In doing so, they damage themselves and the credibility of the office.”
