UK independent body: China committed genocide in Xinjiang

By SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — An independent and unofficial body set up by a prominent British barrister to assess evidence on China’s alleged rights abuses against the Uyghur people has concluded that the Chinese government committed genocide and crimes against humanity. The Uyghur Tribunal is made up of lawyers, academics and businesspeople. It doesn’t have any government backing or powers to sanction or punish China. But organizers hope the process of publicly laying out evidence will compel international action. Tribunal chair Geoffrey Nice said the ruling was based on evidence that the Chinese government’s forced birth control and sterilization policies were “intended to destroy a significant part” of the Uyghurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group. The Chinese Embassy in London rejected the findings.