Full joint statement (.docx) | See joint letter released 8 March 2022
See the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Annual Update 8 March 2022.
See Human Rights Watch video statement at 33:30
Joint statement: Item 2 General Debate on High Commissioner’s update
OHCHR report on grave human rights violations in Xinjiang can wait no longer
- delivered by Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
Thank you, Mr. President,
Last week’s urgent debate illustrated that the Human Rights Council can take action to hold even its most powerful members to account for their international crimes.
Now, High Commissioner, it’s past time for you to do the same.
I make this statement on behalf of 25 ECOSOC-accredited NGOs, with the support of a further 163 NGOs, listed below.
We urge you to follow through on your commitment last year to release a report on grave ongoing human rights violations by Chinese authorities targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic communities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (the Uyghur region). The release of the report without further delay is essential – to send a message to victims and perpetrators alike that no state, no matter how powerful, is above international law or the robust independent scrutiny of your Office.
As you are aware, many of our organisations have documented how Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in the Uyghur region face systematic state-organized mass detention, torture, persecution, and other violations of a scale and nature amounting to crimes against humanity. We have repeatedly raised alarm – including to your Office – over the extreme measures taken by Chinese authorities since 2017 to root out the religious traditions, cultural practices, and local languages of the region’s Muslim ethnic groups. Carried out under the guise of fighting “terrorism”, these crimes have targeted ethnic Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Hui, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks and Tajiks.
In 2020, an unprecedented number of special procedures issued a landmark statement expressing concerns over human rights violations in China, including in the Uyghur region, and called for the UN to take decisive action. Treaty bodies have also raised concerns over the situation in that region over the last five years.
In contrast to these efforts, we have been concerned by the relative silence of your Office in the face of these grave violations, aside from procedural updates on the status of negotiations to gain meaningful access to Xinjiang, which by your own admission have not progressed. In that context, we welcomed your confirmation in September last year that your Office was “finalising its assessment of the available information on allegations of serious human rights violations in [Xinjiang] with a view to making it public.” Six months later, after having been assured by your spokesperson in December the report would be released in a matter of weeks, the world is still awaiting that report.
Victims and survivors should not have to wait any longer. They and their families deserve justice and accountability, and need to know that your Office stands with them.
We urge you to fulfil your mandate, release the report without further delay, and brief members and observers of the UN Human Rights Council on its contents as a matter of urgency.
Accountability can wait no longer.
Supported by the following NGOs:
ECOSOC-accredited NGOs:
Amnesty International
Alliance des Avocats pour les Droits de l’Homme
ARTICLE 19
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)
DefendDefenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
Family Research Council
Fédération Euro-méditerranéenne contre les disparitions Forcées
Hebrew Congregation of Somers
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
Human Rights Watch
International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
International Society for Human Rights, Chapter Munich
Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
Mamatjan Nayup
Minority Rights Group International (MRG)
Mulmangcho
People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE)
Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights)
René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights
Society for Threatened Peoples
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Non-ECOSOC accredited NGOs:
21Wilberforce
ACAT-France
Access Accountability
Alberta Uyghur Association
Alliance for Vietnam’s Democracy
ALTSEAN-Burma
American Alliance for Automotive Corporate Social Responsibility
American Muslim Bar Association
Arakan Rohingya National Organisation
Asia Democracy Network
Australian East Turkestan Association
Australian Uyghur Association
Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women’s Association
Austria Uyghur Association
Bauhinias For Freedom
Bay Area Friends of Tibet
Be Slavery Free
Belgium Uyghur Association
Blue Crescent Humanitarian Aid Association
Campaign for Uyghurs
Canadian Coalition Against Communisms
Carleton University
China Against the Death Penalty
China Aid
China Change
Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness 華人基督徒公義團契
Chinese Human Rights Defenders
Chulalongkorn University’s Student Union
Church of Scientology National Affairs Office
CIDH AFRICA
Coalition des défenseurs des droits humains du Benin
Coalition Burkinabè des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CBDDH)
Comité de Apoyo al Tíbet – CAT
Crane Center for Mass Atrocity Prevention
CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)
Dialogue China
Dutch Uyghur Human Rights Foundation
East Turkestan Press and Media Association
East Turkestan Union of Muslim Scholars
East Turkistan Association in Finland
East Turkistan Association of Canada
East Turkistan Education and Solidarity Association
East Turkistan Entrepreneur Tradesmen and Industrialists Businessmen Association
East Turkistan Human Rights Watch
East Turkistan New Generation Movement
East Turkistan Nuzugum Culture and Family Association
East Turkistan Sports and Development Association
East Turkistan Union in Europe
Eastern Turkistan Foundation
Engage Action
European East Turkistan Education Association
EXCUBITUSdhe
Federation for a Democratic China
Finnish Uyghur Culture Center
Frankfurt stands with Hongkong
Fundacion Aguaclara
GAYa NUSANTARA Foundation
Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities
Green Advocates International (Liberia)
Hirschfeld-Eddy-Stiftung
Hong Kong Committee in Norway
Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC)
Hong Kong Global Connect
Human Asia
Human Rights in China (HRIC)
Human Trafficking Search
Humanitarian China
Ilham Tohti Initiative
Ilham Tohti Initiative
Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council
International Campaign For Tibet
International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC)
International Pen Uyghur Center
International Support for Uyghurs
International Tibet Network
International Union of East Turkistan Organizations
International Uyghur Human Right and Democracy Foundation
IRPOO Siberia without torture
Isa Yusup Alptekin Foundation
Islamic Community Milli Gorus
Islamic Information & Services Foundation Malaysia
Japan Uyghur Association
Jewish Movement for Uyghur Freedom
Jewish World Watch
Judicial Reform Foundation
Justice For All
Justice for Uyghurs – Switzerland
Lady Lawyer Foundation
Le Comité pour la Liberté à Hong-Kong
Liberty and Democracy Advocacy Club University of Calgary
Malaysia4Uyghur
Mamatjan Nayup
Minaret Foundation
Minh Van Foundation
Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
National Committee of Democratic Party of China
Netherlands for Hong Kong
No Business With Genocide
Northern California Hong Kong Club
Norwegian Uyghur Committee
Omer Uygur Foundation
Peace Catalyst International
People’s Watch
Planet Ally
PROMEDEHUM
Safeguard Defenders
Satuq Bugrakhan Foundation of Science and Civilization
SAVE TIBET Austria
Silk Road Peace Project
Society Union of Uyghur National Association
Solidarité Chine, Paris
Solidarity Sisters Network of Liberia (SoSNoL)
Stepping Stones
Stop Uyghur Genocide Canada
Stop Uyghur Genocide Australia
Sweden Uyghur Education Union
Swiss Tibetan Friendship Association
Switzerland East Turkestan Association
The Community Human Rights Promotion and Protection Association – ACPDH
The International Women’s Alliance for Family Institution and Quality Education
The Lesbian and Gay Association of Liberia (LEGAL)
The Rights Practice
Tibet Action Institute
Tibet Justice Center
Tibet Solidarity
Tibet Support Group Ireland
Tibetan Youth Association in Europe
Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG)
Uigur Society of the Kyrgyz Republic
Umer Uyghur Trust
Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam
United Council of Vietnamese Homeland and Overseas
United Macedonian Diaspora
Uyghur Academy
Uyghur American Association
Uyghur Association of Victoria, Australia
Uyghur Center for Human Rights and Democracy
Uyghur Cultural and Education Union in Germany
Uyghur Education Union
Uyghur Human Rights Project
Uyghur Mosque
Uyghur Projects Foundation
Uyghur Refugee Relief Fund
Uyghur Research Institute
Uyghur Right’s Advocacy Project
Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
Uyghur Science and Civilization Research Foundation
Uyghur Support Group Netherlands
Uyghur Transitional Justice Database
Uyghur U.K. Association
Uyghur Youth Union in Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan Uyghur Culture Center
Victoria Uyghur Association
Viet Democratic Side’s International Forum
Vietnam Helsinki Human Rights Committee
Vietnam Human Rights Day – May 11 Organization
Vietnam Human Rights Network
Vietnamese Nationalist Party
Visual Artists Guild
Witness Radio – Uganda
World Uyghur Congress
World Without Genocide
Young leadership for social change network
