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Xinjiang: Genocide

Question for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

UIN 157997, tabled on 24 February 2021

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on the killing of Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjian; whether he has sought legal advice on whether the criteria set out in the Convention for a genocide determination may have been met; and if he will make a statement.

Answered on

4 March 2021

The Government remains gravely concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang. We continue to play a leading role in holding China to account for its human rights violations in the region, working closely with international partners, including at the UN.

It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies.