Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the UN Human Rights Council to convene a dedicated discussion to follow up on the recommendations of the 2022 assessment by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which concluded that grave abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang “may constitute … crimes against humanity.”
The oral statement was delivered by HRW during the general debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention at the 63rd regular session of the Human Rights Council, held on September 22–23, 2026, HRW said in publishing the statement on September 22.
“Ten years since abuses escalated against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the Chinese government crackdown remains severe, with continued mass arbitrary detention, unjust imprisonment, mass surveillance, cultural and religious persecution, restrictions on travel and communication, and pressure on Uyghurs abroad,” the statement said.
HRW said state-imposed forced labor in Xinjiang affects global supply chains in sectors including automotive, solar panels, apparel, seafood, agricultural products, and critical minerals.
The statement said the Council’s dedicated discussion should also “address government repression across China, including in Tibet and Hong Kong, and the persecution of religious minorities.”
Separately at the same session, the United Kingdom’s human rights ambassador, Eleanor Sanders, told the Council that China’s “reckless attempts at transnational repression have continued,” citing the targeting of Hong Kong democracy activist Carmen Lau — remarks made during the interactive dialogue on the Secretary-General’s report on cooperation with the United Nations.
The 63rd session of the Human Rights Council runs from September 7 to October 7, 2026.
Sources
- Human Rights Watch, “HRW Oral Statement on China, Venezuela and Tajikistan,” September 22, 2026
- UK Government, “UN Human Rights Council 63: UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue on the Secretary General’s report on cooperation with the United Nations”
- UN Web TV, 63rd Session of the Human Rights Council, 26th Meeting (24 September 2026)