On Thursday, the UN Human Rights Council voted against holding a debate on alleged abuses by China in Xinjiang, a serious setback for Western countries.
The move came after former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet released her report on Xinjiang last month, citing possible crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the far west of the country. China.
But after heavy pressure from Beijing, the 47 members of the Geneva council voted 19 to 17 against holding a debate, with 11 abstentions.
The countries that voted against the debate are Bolivia, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Senegal, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
The countries that abstained from voting were Argentina, Armenia, Benin, Brazil, Gambia, Libya, India, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico and Ukraine.
Director General of the International Human Rights Service, Phil Lynch, said it was “shameful” that “Muslim countries … have largely failed to support discussions at the United Nations on violations of Uighur rights.”
“Being the largest Muslim country in the world and a vibrant democracy, we cannot turn a blind eye to the plight of our Muslim brothers and sisters,” said Indonesian Ambassador Vibrian Rudyard.
However, he added that as China disagrees, the discussion “will not lead to significant progress”, so Indonesia voted “no”.
Qatari Ambassador Hind Al-Muftah reiterated this impression.
China had launched an attack to reject the Bachelet report.
Observers say African countries, where China is the main creditor after building huge infrastructure and other investments, have come under severe pressure.
In the end, only Somalia voted “yes” out of 13 countries.
However, British Ambassador Simon Manley said the convergent result showed Beijing that “a large number of countries will not be silenced when it comes to serious human rights violations”, regardless of who commits them.
France also deplored the rejection of the text and stressed that the Bachelet report “raises fundamental questions and shows that there can be no double standards”, according to the French ambassador to the United Nations, Jerome Bonafont.
“This is a victory for developing countries and a victory for truth and justice,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying wrote on Twitter.
“Human rights should not be used as an excuse to fabricate lies and interfere in the internal affairs of other countries,” he added.
Last month, the United States and its allies submitted a draft resolution to the highest UN human rights body, targeting China to seek a debate on Xinjiang.
“The United States condemns today’s vote that has prevented the debate on Xinjiang,” said US Ambassador to the Human Rights Council Michelle Taylor on Twitter.
He added that inaction “shamefully suggests that some countries are free from censorship and can violate human rights with impunity.”
