The 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council has rejected a resolution to hold a debate next year on alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang by a narrow margin of 19 votes against, 17 in favor and 11 abstentions.
The vote was preceded by a vigorous debate in which several member states presented their positions for and against the draft resolution. The United States, one of 10 Western sponsors, introduced the resolution.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Council Michele Taylor noted that evidence of human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang province was recorded in a U.N. report published more than a month ago. She said it was important to hold a debate on the issue in a neutral forum.
“The evidence in this independent assessment was compiled over a three-year period," said Taylor. "It relied extensively on China’s own records. It corroborates several concerns raised by special procedures, independent media, academic researchers and most importantly, by Uyghurs themselves.”
