To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the credibility of allegations that have been made in respect of the (a) detention of hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other minority groups in closed camps, (b) systematic use of rape and torture in those camps, (c) demolition of mosques and suppression of Islamic symbols, beliefs and practices belonging to those groups, (d) forced separation of children and families in those groups for education in state institutions, (e) forced sterilisation of women in those groups and (f) systematic suppression of reproductive rights among members of those groups as a means of population control targeted at specific ethnic groups.
Answered on
1 March 2021
There is a large, diverse and growing body of evidence that underpins allegations of the extra-judicial detention of over a million Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in "political re-education camps"; the systematic restrictions on Uyghur culture and the practice of Islam; and invasive surveillance targeting minorities. This evidence includes first hand testimony from victims who have fled the region; satellite imagery showing the scale of the internment camps; and extensive and credible third party reports from NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
The UK Government is also deeply concerned by reports of the separation of children from their families, and distressing testimonies of the sexual assault and forced sterilisation of Uyghur women in Xinjiang detention centres. These testimonies are further, compelling additions to the evidence of gross human rights violations being perpetrated against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang.