To China’s fury, UN accuses Beijing of Uyghur rights abuses

By KEN MORITSUGU and JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — The U.N. accused China of serious human rights violations that may amount to “crimes against humanity” in a long-delayed report examining a crackdown on Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups. Beijing on Thursday denounced the assessment as a fabrication cooked up by Western nations. Human rights groups have accused China of sweeping a million or more people from the minority groups into detention camps where many have said they were tortured or sexually assaulted. The report from the U.N. human rights office largely corroborated earlier reporting by researchers, advocacy groups and the news media. It added the weight of the world body to those conclusions. But it was not clear what impact it would have. China showed no sign of backing off its blanket denials.