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Despite Beijing’s efforts to dismiss the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) expert findings, the UN’s Xinjiang report remains a central reference point in discussions on China’s rights record at the UN. Released in August 2022, the report found that Beijing may have committed, and may continue to commit, international crimes, including crimes against humanity.
During the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council held in September 2024, ten countries composing the ‘Xinjiang Core Group’ – initially formed in September 2022 to table a vital motion on the Xinjiang report – spoke jointly to regret that China has continued to reject the OHCHR’s impartial findings and failed to engage meaningfully with the United Nations.
The joint statement urged China to release all people arbitrarily detained in the Uyghur region, clarify the status of missing persons, facilitate safe contact and reunion, and uphold its international obligations.
More than a dozen countries – including the Netherlands, Lithuania, Finland, and Japan – also spoke individually to call on China to implement the recommendations outlined in the OHCHR report on Xinjiang. Several countries also addressed the erosion of freedoms and human rights abuses in Tibet and Hong Kong, with particular emphasis on restrictions on civic space, arbitrary detentions, and the suppression of independent media.
To date, the OHCHR report has been referenced over 150 times at the Human Rights Council sessions, with repeated calls for China to take actions.
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