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China Rejects Accusations of Abuses 04/20 06:06
BEIJING (AP) -- China's government on Tuesday rejected accusations of abuses
in the Xinjiang region after a human rights group appealed for a U.N.
investigation into possible crimes against humanity.
Accusations of forced labor or detentions in the northwestern region are
"lies and false information concocted by anti-China forces," said a foreign
ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin. He accused critics of trying to "undermine
Xinjiang's stability and security and curb China's development."
On Monday, Human Rights Watch appealed to the U.N. Human Rights Commission
to investigate reports of mass detention of Muslims, a crackdown on religious
practices and other measures against minorities. It said they amount to crimes
against humanity as defined by the treaty that established the International
Criminal Court.
More than 1 million people have been confined to camps in Xinjiang,
according to foreign governments and researchers. Authorities there are accused
of imposing forced labor and birth controls.
Beijing rejects complaints of abuses and says the camps are for job training
to support economic development and combat Islamic radicalism. The government
is pressing foreign clothing and shoe brands to reverse decisions to stop using
cotton from Xinjiang due to reports of possible forced labor.
Wang accused news outlets of acting as a "loudspeaker of lies and
disinformation."
China has denied the United Nations unfettered access to the region to
investigate.
Wang called on foreign observers to "respect facts and truth" and to "stop
the wrong practice of spreading disinformation about Xinjiang and making false
statements at every turn."
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