Come for a 'friendly' visit, not to probe human rights allegations: China to UNHRC chief

Beijing, June 22

China on Tuesday politely declined UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s call for a “meaningful access” to verify the “serious” reports of human rights violations in the restive region of Xinjiang, saying she is welcome for a “friendly visit” but not to pursue a probe with “presumption of guilt”. The US and the EU besides many other countries have accused China of committing a genocide against the minority Muslim Uygurs in Xinjiang and called for an international probe by human rights groups.

In her address to the 47th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Bachelet said, “I continue to discuss with China modalities for a visit, including meaningful access, to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and hope this can be achieved this year, particularly as reports of serious human rights violations continue to emerge.” China has been vehemently refuting allegations of interning millions of Uygurs in mass detention camps, which were officially termed as education camps, in a bid to wean them away from religious extremism. Asked for his reaction to Bachelet’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here that the remarks made by the chief of the top UN human rights body on Xinjiang-related issues “runs counter to facts”. PTI