A tweet from the United Nations Office for Human Rights summarizes the profound change that the world has experienced in the last four years: “Profound impact of covid, climate change, food and energy damage due to the war in Ukraine , political polarization between states, racial protests”. This is a summary of the intervention of Michelle Bachelet, who has served as high commissioner of the institution during this period.
The problem with social networks is that anyone intervenes in them, even those who use anonymity and blame the high commissioner for things that are missing. “Published the report of Xinjiang, corrupt”, could be read in a reply.
The final months of the former president of Chile as UN High Commissioner – her term ends on August 31 – are overshadowed by the delay in the investigation into China’s inhumane treatment of the Uyghur minority residing in that autonomous territory to the northwest from the country. Diplomats from Geneva, where the Human Rights office is based, and from the New York headquarters are convinced that this work, begun three years ago, has been completed for months.
There is a general suspicion that Bachelet has succumbed to pressure from Beijing. She herself encouraged criticism on Thursday by acknowledging that the report may not be published as she promised before she leaves office. She acknowledged that “we are still trying very hard” to meet that schedule, which expires in less than a week.
But Bachelet stressed that she faces “tremendous pressure” from all fronts, “to publish or not to publish,” she said at a press conference. “I will not publish or withhold information due to such pressure,” he added, without clarifying anything else. He clarified, however, that “we continue to work” on the document.
In July, information appeared in which it was claimed that China had asked Bachelet in a letter to bury the report. The head of the UN visited the Asian giant in May. It was the first high commissioner for human rights to make that trip since 2005. Bachelet affirms that he expressed his concern to the Chinese authorities, and even to President Xi Jiping in a virtual meeting.
Human rights groups accuse Beijing of persecuting the Uyghurs, some 10 million predominantly Muslim people, by locking them up in labor camps. The United States calls it genocide. China denies everything.
Bachelet confirmed this Thursday the existence of that letter, signed by 40 other nations.
“Try harder!” tweeted John Fisher, director of Human Right Watch in the Swiss city after hearing Bachelet’s words. “Anything less would be a disgrace to his office and a betrayal of the victims,” ??he stressed. Her colleague Sophie Richardson, who heads China’s Human Rights Watch, added that the high commissioner’s response was “woefully inadequate.”
There were many more critics. “The longer the report goes unpublished, the more likely it is to be covered up,” added Renee Xia, director of a Chinese human rights advocacy network.
