MUNICH, 19 Feb. (DPA / EP) –
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi once again strongly rejected accusations from the Western community and international NGOs that Beijing is waging a campaign of repression against the Uighur Muslim minority, accusations he called “lies”. .
Wang said there had “never” been any systematic forced labor or re-education camps in Xinjiang province, as claimed by NGOs. “These are fabricated lies and spread in the form of disinformation,” he said.
“Believe me when I tell you that the government is telling the truth,” he insisted.
According to international allegations, hundreds of thousands of Uyghur Muslims have been sent to re-education camps in Xinjiang, where they are subjected to torture, ill-treatment and ideological indoctrination.
Uyghurs who have fled the Xinjiang region overseas say people are sometimes rounded up on the streets and sent to detention camps, called re-education centers, where they are taught to renounce any behavior associated with Uyghur culture .
Beijing accuses members of the minority of engaging in acts of separatism and terrorism, a statement reiterated by the Chinese minister when referring to a region he noted has suffered from “ideologies radicals” and extremist attacks in the past and where there are “terrorist forces” from abroad.
“Today, all citizens can live in peace and happiness,” Wang told the conference, adding that “all ethnic groups have been able to follow their faith freely.”
Similarly, and as the Chinese government had hinted several weeks ago, Mr Wang said his country was open to a visit by Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to Xinjiang to review the situation on the ground.
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