China has called a mission by the UN rights chief a chance to “clarify misinformation” ahead of her visit on Tuesday (24 May 2022) to Xinjiang , but Uyghurs doubt Michelle Bachelet will get it. The ruling Communist Party is accused of detaining over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the far-western region as part of a years-long crackdown the United States and lawmakers in other Western countries have labelled a “genocide”.
China vehemently denies the allegations, calling them the “lie of the century”. Bachelet is expected to visit the Xinjiang cities of Urumqi and Kashgar on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a six-day tour. She met Foreign Minister Wang Yi ahead of her journey to Xinjiang, who also “expressed the hope that this trip would help enhance understanding and cooperation”, according to a readout of the meeting released late Monday.
But Uyghurs, the main victims of an alleged campaign of repression, raised doubts about her presence if her trip is as highly-controlled as expected. Nursimangul Abdureshid, a Uyghur living in Turkey, said she was “not very hopeful that her trip can bring any change”.
“I request them to visit victims like my family members, not the pre-prepared scenes by the Chinese government,” she told AFP. “If the UN team cannot have unlimited access in Xinjiang, I will not accept their so-called reports