Western nations condemn China at UN for repression of Muslims

By NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE
Uyghurs people demonstrate against China during the Universal Periodic Review of China by the Human Rights Council, walking to the place des Nations in front of the European headquarters of the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018.

Canada has publicly accused China of repressing Muslims amid a “deterioration of human rights” in the world’s second largest economy.
China must “end prosecution and persecution on the basis of religion or belief,” Tamara Mawhinney, Canada’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said Tuesday as China was subjected to a rare moment of global scrutiny before the UN Human Rights Council, which examines each country’s treatment of its people every five years.
Ms. Mawhinney called on Beijing to “release Uyghurs and other Muslims who have been detained arbitrarily and without due process for their ethnicity or religion.” 

Canada, she said, is “deeply concerned by credible reports of the mass detention, repression and surveillance of Uyghurs and other Muslims in East Turkestan,” referring to the region in western China where, western scholars have estimated, hundreds of thousands of Muslims have been incarcerated in centres for political indoctrination.
The U.S., too, on Tuesday urged China to “abolish all forms of arbitrary detention, including internment camps in East Turkestan.”
The public censure marked a new step in the international condemnation of Chinese conduct in what Beijing calls an “anti-extremism” campaign.
But criticism levelled by a smattering of democratic nations — Croatia, Japan and Switzerland among them — was all but drowned out by a chorus of flattery for Beijing.
More than 150 countries signed up to speak on Tuesday, and dozens of them — authoritarian regimes from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America — used their allotted 45 seconds to compliment China for fighting poverty, combatting corruption, encouraging entrepreneurship, responding to climate change, reducing smog, expanding forests, opposing double standards in human rights, imposing low tariffs on imports, providing radio broadcast coverage to virtually its entire population and penning a “high-quality” report on its own human rights.
China has cited separatist groups as a security threat in East Turkestan, where Beijing has in recent years built a network of concentration camps for political indoctrination amid an intensive campaign against what it calls "extremism".
Inside such camps, authorities force the disavowal of religion and recitation of loyalty to the Communist Party and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping, former detainees have said.
Residents of the region say fears of detention without trial are so widespread that religious observance has largely been halted in a region that makes up one-sixth of the Chinese landmass.
But even among Muslim nations, China received little criticism Tuesday, underscoring the influence China has amassed as the world’s second-largest economy, and an increasingly important global source of trade, foreign investment and aid.
Indonesia commended “China’s strategic approach” to ensuring the “well-being of its population.” 
Malaysia pointed to China’s “many achievements in human rights.” 
Kuwait suggested Beijing focus “on the prevention of juvenile delinquency to ensure minors’ physical and psychological health.” 
Saudi Arabia recommended China “continue friendly exchanges in the field of cultural and religious issues.” 
Syria urged China to counter “extremist religious movements and continue its struggle against terrorism and separatism.” 
Pakistan said China should “continue its efforts to maintain and promote peace and stability.”
The upbeat assessment is ”partially a reflection of China's economic clout amongst these countries, but also its leadership role amongst countries that are actively trying to undermine human rights standards,” said Frances Eve, a researcher with the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders.
Among Muslim nations, only Turkey spoke out strongly against Chinese practices that involve “restrictions on basic rights and liberties, like confinement of individuals without any legal grounds, and their separation from families and society.”
More forceful denunciations of China’s conduct came largely from western nations.
Switzerland said it is “concerned about repression” and demanded the closure of what it termed “re-education centres” in East Turkestan.
France called on Beijing to “put an end to mass internment in camps” and guarantee freedom of religion.
Germany said China should ”end all unlawful detention, including unconstitutional mass detention of Uyghurs and other Muslims in East Turkestan.”
“Despite China’s best efforts — through propaganda and platitudes — to reduce the [UN review] to fawning adulation, numerous states expressed serious concerns,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch.