Uyghur Tribunal accuses China of genocide

China has committed genocide against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, an unofficial UK-based tribunal has found.

The Uyghur Tribunal cited birth control and sterilisation measures allegedly carried out by the state against the Uyghurs as the primary reason for reaching its conclusion on Thursday.

Sir Geoffrey Nice, a prominent British barrister who chaired the tribunal hearings, said its panel was satisfied China had carried out “a deliberate, systematic and concerted policy” to bring about “long-term reduction of Uyghur and other ethnic minority populations”. He added that the panel believed senior officials including the Chinese president Xi Jinping bore “primary responsibility” for the abuses against Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region.

The tribunal’s panel was made up of lawyers and academics. Its findings have no legal force and are not binding on ministers, but its organizers said at the outset they intended to add to the body of evidence around the allegations against China and reach an independent conclusion on the question of genocide.

The Chinese government denies all accusations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Responding to the tribunal’s ruling on Thursday, a spokesman told agencies the body was a “pseudo tribunal” and a “political tool used by a few anti-China elements to deceive and mislead the public”.

Reading the tribunal’s judgement, Sir Geoffrey said there was “no evidence of mass killings” in Xinjiang, but he said that the alleged efforts to prevent births amounted to genocidal intent. The panel also said it had found evidence of crimes against humanity, torture, and sexual violence against the Uyghur people.