Michelle Bachelet used her opening address Monday to the summer session of the Human Rights Council to announce that it would be her last at the UN’s top human rights body
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said she will not seek a new four-year term, citing a desire to return to her native Chile after a tenure that has been recently overshadowed by criticism of her response to China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in western Xinjiang.
Guterres, who chooses the UN rights chief, affirmed his support for Bachelet after she faced criticism from the United States and others for allegedly not doing enough to raise concerns about or look into rights abuses in Xinjiang during her six-day trip to China last month, when she spoke with President Xi Jinping and other top officials.“Having been president twice, I have received a lot of criticism in my life,” said Bachelet. `That’s not what makes me do certain decisions.
Critics said she hasn’t spoken out enough about the Uyghurs and during the visit didn’t press Chinese authorities enough. She insisted her trip was not an “investigation” and emphasized that she had opened a channel of communication with top Chinese authorities. China has denied any accusations about its treatment of Uyghurs and has defended its “vocational education and training centers” for them that critics have called detention centers.Last week, Human Rights Watch relayed a statement from over 230 groups representing people from Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and other places in China calling on Bachelet to step down. In it, the groups accused her of having “whitewashed the Chinese government’s human rights atrocities” during her visit.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Two people dead in two-vehicle crash in York RegionTwo people have died at the scene of a two-vehicle collision in York Region Saturday morning, police say.
Read more »
Turkey has ‘legitimate concerns’ over terrorism, NATO chief saysTurkey has accused Finland and Sweden of supporting Kurdish militants
Read more »
Norway oil firms, workers agree wage deal in principle, avert strike for nowTwo of the three unions that negotiated with oil firms will seek approval from their members before they formally approve the deal
Read more »
U.K. man's family 'devastated' by death sentence for fighting for UkraineA court in the separatist\u002Dproclaimed Donetsk People\u0027s Republic of Ukraine convicted two British fighters and one Moroccan on Thursday of seeking the violent…
Read more »
Manitoba First Nation communities look at next steps in dealing with possible graves - Winnipeg | Globalnews.caChiefs from two First Nations in Manitoba said their communities are looking for answers after possible graves were discovered at the sites of former residential schools.
Read more »
One dead, two injured after explosion, fire in downtown Vancouver hotel, officials sayEarly indications are it was accidentally started after an overcharged electric bicycle battery exploded, an official says
Read more »