Western diplomats say a group of democracies is considering a range of options, including a resolution on China for the first time in the council's 16-year-history.
GENEVA, Switzerland – Western countries face a dilemma as the UN Human Rights Council opens on Monday: confront China over human rights violations in its Xinjiang region and risk failing or miss the biggest opportunity to bring accountability in years.by the UN rights office on August 31 found that China’s “arbitrary and discriminatory detention” of Uyghurs and other Muslims there may constitute crimes against humanity. China vigorously denies any abuse.
Western diplomats said a group of democracies is considering a range of options including a resolution on China for the first time in the council’s 16-year-history – a move that might include an investigative mechanism. Rights groups accused China of abuses against Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority numbering around 10 million in the western region of Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced labor in internment camps. The United States, a member of the council, has accused China of genocide.The council, in a meeting scheduled to run through October 7, has no legally binding powers but its debates bring heightened scrutiny and its actions can launch investigations.
Winning passage of a resolution would be tough. Between 1990 and 2004, 11 draft motions were proposed on the human rights situation in China at the council’s predecessor but none passed. There are signs that Western sway has declined since the council’s creation in 2006 amid a backsliding in freedoms globally.
Other options include convening what is called a “special session” of the council – an action needing at least third of votes on the council to pass. Another is an oral condemnation, or “joint statement” – a weaker step but one with no minimum number of votes for adoption.
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