China’s government on Tuesday rejected accusations of abuses in the Xinjiang region after a human rights group appealed for a UN investigation into possible crimes against humanity.
Accusations of forced labour or detentions in the northwestern region are “lies and false information concocted by anti-China forces,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. He accused critics of trying to “undermine Xinjiang’s stability and security and curb China’s development”.
On Monday, Human Rights Watch appealed to the UN Human Rights Commission to investigate reports of mass detention of Muslims, a crackdown on religious practices and other measures against minorities. It said they amount to crimes against humanity as defined by the treaty that established the International Criminal Court.
More than 1 million people have been confined to camps in Xinjiang, according to foreign governments and researchers. Authorities there are accused of imposing forced labour and birth controls.
Beijing rejects complaints of abuses and says the camps are for job training to support economic development and combat Islamic radicalism.
