Canada, UK, USA Urge China to End Persecution of National Minorities

Baku/23.03.21/Turan: The Foreign Ministers of Canada and Great Britain, as well as the US Secretary of State called on the Chinese authorities to end the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities.

A statement released by the Department od State said: We, the Foreign Ministers of Canada and the United Kingdom, and the Secretary of State of the United States, are united in our deep and continuing concern about China's human rights violations in Xinjiang. There is a staggering amount of evidence, including from the Chinese government's own documents, satellite imagery, and eyewitness accounts. China's extensive program of repression includes severe restrictions on religious freedoms, the use of forced labor, mass detention in internment camps, forced sterilization, and the targeted destruction of Uyghur heritage.

Today, we took coordinated action on measures, in parallel with those of the European Union, which send a clear signal of human rights violations in Xinjiang. We call on China to end its repressive practices against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang and release those arbitrarily detained.

We emphasize the importance of transparency and accountability and call on China to provide the international community, including independent investigators from the United Nations, journalists and foreign diplomats, with unhindered access to Xinjiang.

We will continue to work together to shed light on human rights abuses in China. We stand united and call for justice for those suffering in Xinjiang.  — 0—