Bachelet sought a trip to Xinjiang to report on the persecution of Uighurs by Human Rights News

The head of human rights at the United Nations has said he is pushing for “significant access” to the region this year.

UN human rights chief Michele Bachelet has said he hopes to agree on terms of a visit to China, Xinjiang region, this year to look into reports of serious violations against the Uighur minority.

“I continue to discuss Chinese modalities including interesting access to visit the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” Bachelet said on Monday about the opening of the Geneva Human Rights Council session in Geneva.

“[I] we hope it can be achieved this year, especially as long as serious human rights violations continue to be reported. “

Bachelet’s notes marked the first time he had publicly proposed such a visit schedule that his office had been negotiating terms since September 2018.

According to the UN, Western states are under increasing pressure to ensure unrestricted access to Xinjiang, where at least one million Uyghurs, most of them Muslims, have been arrested in the province, according to the UN.

Massive internment camps

Critics, including the UK and the US, say they have been subjected to prisoners in the camps human rights violationssuch as arbitrary detention, forced labor, torture, forced sterilization, and family separation.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have released their reports this year documenting They said the practices against Uighur could be crimes against humanity.

Beijing denies the allegations and describes the camp as a vocational training facility to combat extremist religion and boost economic development in the region.

Dozens of Canadian-led countries will make a joint statement on Tuesday to the council, expressing concern about the rights situation in Xinjiang and calling on China for access to Bachelet and other independent observers.

Awaiting Tuesday’s statement, the Chinese mission in Geneva last week called on the group to “spread misinformation and shape China’s lies” and use “human rights as a political tool.”

Hong Kong

Meanwhile, on the situation in Hong Kong, Bachelet told the council that the national security law imposed on China’s territory a year ago had a “tremendous impact” on Britain’s traditional democratic space and media.

The law criminalized many disagreements, gave some cases to China, and gave new jurisdictions investigative powers.

Bachelet said 107 people have been arrested under the law, including 57 formally indicted.

“This will be an important test of independence for the Hong Kong judiciary, in line with its fundamental rights in trying to fulfill Hong Kong’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” he said.

Government officials in Beijing and Hong Kong have said that national security law is necessary to prevent threats to national security, and that Hong Kong is protecting the rights and freedoms of ordinary people.

Critics say it is used to suppress dissent at the global financial center.