Press release: EU statement on human rights in Xinjiang

The UK supports the below EEAS statement issued on 26 October on the revision by the Chinese authorities of the ‘Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Regulation on De-extremification’.

Statement by the EEAS Spokesperson on the situation in Xinjiang:

The revision by the Chinese authorities of the “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Regulation on De-extremification” highlights the deteriorating human rights situation in Xinjiang. There are credible reports of mass detentions in political “re-education camps” affecting Uighurs and other minorities; of mass surveillance; of restrictions on travel; and of Uighurs abroad allegedly being returned to China involuntarily.

These revisions run counter to the recommendations provided by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which call on China to change its policy in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

In this context, the EU expects China to respect freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of expression, as well as the rights of persons belonging to ethnic or national minorities, as guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook

• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn