Religion and Politics

U.N. Rights Body Rejects Western Bid to Debate Xinjiang Abuses

Jamey Keaten of the Associated Press reports, “In a close diplomatic victory for China, the U.N.’s top human rights body on Thursday voted down a proposal from Britain, Turkey, the United States and other mostly Western countries to hold a debate on alleged rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China’s western Xinjiang region.” The proposal fell seven votes short of the simple majority it needed to pass in part because of “no” votes from many African and Persian Gulf nations. Michele Taylor, the United States ambassador to the U.N., said, “No country represented here today has a perfect human rights record. No country, no matter how powerful, should be excluded from council discussions. This includes my country – the United States – and it includes the People’s Republic of China.”

Read at The Associated Press

• Email
• Print