London [UK], May 26 : Member of the UK House of Lords and Director of the International Bar Association's Institute of Human Rights, Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, expressed solidarity with Uyghur Muslims and criticised China's policies in Xinjiang during the 3rd East Turkistan Uyghur Summit.
She condemned the Chinese government's treatment of Uyghurs and called for international action to address ongoing human rights violations.
In a video message shared on X by the World Uyghur Congress, Baroness Kennedy, a human rights lawyer, called the atrocities committed by China against Uyghurs in Xinjiang "crimes against humanity," and condemned the global silence that continues to enable Beijing's repressive policies.
https://x.com/UyghurCongress/status/1926685894389485743
"The voices of those who have suffered and those who campaign on their behalf must be heard. These wrongs have to end," she asserted in her video message.
Kennedy highlighted in her message the horror endured by Uyghurs - mass detentions in so-called "re-education" camps, forced labour without pay, sterilisation and forced abortions, torture, family separation, and the erasure of cultural identity.
"These are concentration camps. This is a systematic, state-sponsored effort to erase a people and their way of life," she said, calling on the global community to unite in opposition to Beijing's policies.
"The world must say loudly and clearly - this cannot continue," Kennedy declared in her message.
Uyghur human rights abuses in China include bulk detention, surveillance, and cultural repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Thousands of Uyghurs have reportedly been detained in "re-education" camps. Several media reports cite forced labour, sterilisations, religious restrictions, and mosque destruction.
The Chinese government denies that human rights abuses are taking place, claiming such actions are part of anti-terrorism measures. Human rights groups and various governments have denounced the acts as crimes against humanity, with some accusing China of genocide, eliciting global outrage and appeals for accountability.
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