Michelle Bachelet, strongly criticised over Xinjiang visit, cites personal reasons for decision
, where rights organisations and some western governments have alleged China committed “genocide” – Bachelet and her office have received a barrage of criticism.
Activists and a number of western governments, from Britain to the EU, have urged the former Chilean president and torture survivor to publish a long-awaited report on China’s treatment of its Uyghur population in Xinjiang.Responding to the calls, Bachelet said on Monday in a separate speech that her office was updating its official assessment of the situation in Xinjiang, and it would be shared with the Chinese government for factual comments before publication.
In an apparent attempt to address the criticism that she had not done enough, Bachelet said that while in China she had “also raised concerns regarding the human rights situation of the Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, including broad arbitrary detention and patterns of abuse, both in the VETC system and in other detention facilities”.
She added: “In addition, I raised human rights concerns in the Tibet and Hong Kong regions and discussed possible follow-up actions with my office.” She reported that the Chinese government had agreed to arrange an “annual senior meeting on human rights” with her agency, but she did not give more details on the plan.Bachelet’s speech on Monday touched on various other human rights-related issues around the world, from Afghanistan to Turkey to Venezuela.
She particularly raised her concerns about the deterioration of women’s rights around the world. “Sexual and reproductive health and rights are critical for women’s wellbeing and for development,” she said.
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