Daily US Times: There is a “very credible case” that the government of China is carrying out the crime of genocide against its minority Uighur people, according to a formal legal opinion newly published in the UK.
It concludes there is evidence of state-mandated behaviour showing an intent to destroy the largely Muslim minority in north-western China.
This includes the deliberate infliction of harm on Uighur people in detention, measures to prevent women giving birth – including abortion and sterilisation – and the forcible transfer of Uighur children out of their community.
And, significantly, the legal opinion says there is a credible case that Chinese President Xi Jinping is himself responsible for these crimes against humanity.
It states “the close involvement of Xi Jinping” in the targeting of Uighurs would support a “plausible” case of genocide against him.
“On the basis of the evidence we have seen, this Opinion concludes that there is a very credible case that acts carried out by the Chinese government against the Uighur people in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region amount to crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide,” it says.
A legal opinion is the professional judgement of a respected QC – an independent expert in their field – who assesses the law and evidence and comes to a conclusion. It does not have a legal standing like a court judgement, but can be used as a basis for legal action.
This opinion was commissioned – but not paid for – by the human rights campaign group the Global Legal Action Network. The human rights group that focuses on cross-border legal issues, and the World Uighur Congress and the Uighur Human Rights Project.
The foreign ministry of China has consistently denied allegations of human rights abuses against the Uighurs in Xinjiang.
The Chinese embassy in London accused anti-China forces in the West of fabricating “lies of the century” about Uighurs.
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