London: Forced birth control and sterilization measures were aimed at reducing the population of the ethnic group. For more than a year, the tribunal evaluated testimony and documents. The abuse was part of a comprehensive policy.
An independent tribunal investigating the situation of the Uighurs has accused the Chinese government of genocide and crimes against humanity. Geoffrey Nice, the tribunal's chairman, said Thursday the group found confirmation that forced birth control and sterilization measures against the Uighurs in China's western Xinjiang province were aimed at reducing the ethnic group's population. The abuses, he said, were part of a broader policy. It was directly linked to President Xi Jinping and the highest levels of the Chinese government.
The unofficial Uighur Tribunal, established by a prominent British lawyer, evaluated evidence of alleged human rights abuses by China against the minority. It is composed of lawyers, academics, and businessmen, is not backed by the British government, and has no authority to sanction or punish China. However, the organizers hope that the public presentation of evidence will force international action against the alleged abuses against the predominantly Muslim ethnic group.
The Chinese Embassy in London did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in Beijing that "the so-called forced labor and genocide in Xinjiang are just malicious rumors." Wang was responding to a question about a bill passed Wednesday by the U.S. House of Representatives that bans imports from Xinjiang over concerns about forced labor. read more