Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Paragraph: 13
The Government should accept Parliament’s view that Uyghurs and other ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang...
Recommendation
The Government should accept Parliament’s view that Uyghurs and other ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang are suffering genocide and crimes against humanity, and take action to bring these crimes to an end.
Paragraph Reference:
13
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government agrees that there is compelling evidence of widespread and systematic human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang. This includes the extra-judicial detention of over a million Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in “political re-education camps” since 2017; systematic restrictions on Uyghur culture and the practice of Islam; and extensive and invasive surveillance targeting minorities. There is also credible evidence of forced labour both within and beyond Xinjiang, and of the forced suppression of births. We are clear that these actions represent gross violations of human rights, for which China must be held to account. However it is the long-standing policy of the British Government not to make determinations in relation to genocide. Genocide is a crime and, like other crimes, whether it has occurred should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. This longstanding policy has not prevented us from taking robust action, as set out in the introduction, and has no bearing on our commitment to address the human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang. We will continue to act with our international partners to increase the pressure on China to change its behaviour.