The three most explosive times China has defied the United Nations | World | News

Uyghur Muslims

China has been accused of committing human rights crimes – and possibly genocide – against the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in the north-western region of Xinjiang.

Human rights groups believe the nation has detained more than one million Uyghurs in the past few years, in what has been described as “re-education camps” by the state.

Evidence suggests this ethnic minority group, the largest in Xinjiang, have been used as forced labour and women have been forcibly sterilised.

Some former camp detainees have also alleged they were tortured and sexually abused.

The UN and many other nations have accused China of committing genocide, with groups including Amnesty and Human Rights Watch publishing shocking reports of crimes against humanity.

China denied all allegations of human rights abuses in the region and instead claimed the “re-education” camps are in place to combat separatism and Islamist militancy in the region.

Shocking footage – reportedly shot by an activist – has prompted a new wave of accusations against the nation.

The almost 20-minute video shows the brutal reality of how the Xi Jinping led-government continues its atrocities on Uyghurs.

Mr Guan travelled to eight cities across Xinjiang and discovered 18 “re-education camps”, according to the Daily Mail.

These camps were unmarked on maps, but he was able to film the detention centres and prisons using a covert camera hidden in his backpack.

The footage shows barbed wire, guard towers, police checkpoints, army barracks and military vehicles, with messaging and slogans reading “Reforms Through Labour” seen in one of the centres.

Last month, 43 UN nations issued a statement criticising China’s widely reported abuses against the Uyghurs, and called on Beijing to immediately allow independent observers into the Xinjing region.

The statement read: “We have seen an increasing number of reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations, including reports documenting torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilisation, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children.”

The recent statement is the third time in three years western nations have criticised China publicly for its policies against Uyghurs at UN Human Rights Committee meetings.

In response to the statement, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said “a small number of Western countries, based on disinformation, rumours and lies, keep attacking and maligning China on issues relating to Xinjiang and other matters and interfering in China’s domestic affairs with human rights as a disguise.”