Beijing pre-empted the visit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to Xinjiang (a dense Muslim-populated province in China), by expressing its hope that this visit would lead to “clearing misinformation” about the human rights situation in the region.
Germany called for a transparent investigation into the “shocking” accusations of violations targeting the Muslim Uyghur minority.
Yesterday, Bachelet (the former Chilean President) began a visit to Xinjiang, the Chinese province where Beijing is accused of launching a fierce campaign of repression against the Muslim Uyghur minority.
This is a charge denied by the Chinese government, describing it as the “lie of the century.”
Bachelet is the first UN human rights official to visit China since 2005. This visit is the result of years-long negotiations with Beijing over the terms of the UN Commissioner’s visit to Xinjiang.
