The United Nations has released a formal finding after an independent inquiry, concluding that policies in Xinjiang have enabled crimes against humanity affecting Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups. The report points to mass, arbitrary detentions and other serious abuses as part of a systemic pattern carried out by authorities in the region.
In a historic position statement issued just before the end of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s term, the body affirmed the passage of anti-terror legislation that contributed to a widespread deprivation of liberty for minorities from 2017 to 2019. Since then, the scope and number of so-called vocational training centers have declined, yet arrests continue through the regular criminal justice system, resulting in the continued confinement of predominantly Uyghur people.
Beijing has consistently framed these actions as counter-terrorism and counter-extremism. The government’s long-standing policy has treated resident Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, one of China’s five autonomous regions, as a perceived security concern with broad territorial implications, linking it to wider regional access and influence in Central Asia.
types of abuse
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has found the allegations from detention facilities credible. Reports describe torture and, in some instances, forced medical interventions. While the inquiry could not quantify every violation, the central government’s approach toward Uyghurs appears rooted in the belief that their presence is a threat, which has led to restrictions on fundamental freedoms such as religion, expression, movement, and privacy. There are serious indications that reproductive rights may have been violated, including coerced family planning and birth control measures.
Beijing’s policy toward other minority groups, including Kazakhs, has included family separation and limiting contact with relatives and communities.
direct references
Despite obstacles and Beijing’s refusal to grant UN human rights experts direct access to gather data on the ground, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights conducted interviews with detainees. Many described an ordeal that began with detention at a police station, followed by confinement in centers without access to legal defense or transparent channels to contest transfers. Interviewees reported they could not leave the premises or return home, with quarantine periods ranging from two to eighteen months. They were warned to speak positively about the centers and to avoid revealing their true purpose. The report notes that the anti-terrorism legislation’s vague wording allows authorities wide discretion in interpretation.
These accounts highlight a larger pattern of state control, marked by armed guards and restricted information, that has shaped the experience of those detained in the region.
calculation of the affected population
The investigation does not provide an exact headcount of detainees in recent years. Some estimates indicate that up to about one million people may have been affected, with victims hospitalized in others. An analysis of multiple information sources, including official data, suggests that between 10 and 20 percent of adult members of ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang may have faced detention during 2017–2018. The rationale behind these detentions has ranged from family size and birth years to religious attire, passport status, travel abroad, or even the use of messaging apps such as WhatsApp.
Xinjiang has long been a Muslim-majority region within China, though demographic shifts have occurred as incentives drew Han Chinese to resettle there. A 2021 report by a major rights group notes that Xinjiang accounted for a substantial share of arrests in the country relative to its population size.
As a result, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is urging the release of all arbitrarily detained individuals in Xinjiang, the clarification of the whereabouts of detainees’ families, a comprehensive review of anti-terror laws, and a careful reexamination of cases. The report also calls for investigations into the destruction of mosques and cemeteries and for accountability where abuses are found.
After more than a year of work, the initiative publicly released its findings only recently, following Beijing’s invitation to the High Commissioner to visit the region last May, a visit constrained by pandemic limitations but still yielding valuable first-hand testimony.