宣言・決議・意見書・声明等宣言・決議・意見書・声明等

Opinion Calling on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to Accept Investigations by International Organizations and Take Necessary Relief Measures for the Victims of Human Rights Violations against Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

I. Summary of Opinion

Regarding human rights violations by the government of the People’s Republic of China against Uyghurs in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region, we call on the government of the People’s Republic of China to accept investigations by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international organizations and to take necessary relief measures for the victims promptly if any human rights violations are recognized.

II. Reasons for Opinion

1. 1 On April 20, 2022, it was reported that the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as "China") had decided to ratify the Forced Labour Conventions. We are delighted and welcome that the Chinese government has ratified the Conventions that prohibit forced labor as a means of political coercion or education, etc., and has clearly indicated its intention to comply with the Conventions.
   In the meantime, on August 30, 2018, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination expressed concern in its concluding observations on periodic reports on the Chinese government regarding numerous reports of the detention of large numbers of Uyghurs (there is no official data for the number but it is estimated to be from the tens of thousands to over a million) in concentration camps for the purpose of "re-education" 1 .
   In addition, according to reports by investigative bodies, international human-rights bodies and news media of Western countries, significant human rights violations are committed by the Chinese government in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region against Uyghurs, who are a minority Muslim ethnic group, including forced detention, forced labor, forced disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, forced sterilization, etc.
2. 2 We have also obtained testimonies from Uyghurs living in Japan regarding human rights violations by the Chinese government, such as that their family members, relatives and friends back home are detained in concentration camps for minor reasons and their safety is unknown, or they cannot communicate or interact with their families freely because their telephone calls and letters are censored by the authorities, and so on 2 .
3. 3 If such reports and testimonies are true, what the Chinese government is doing against Uyghurs in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region can be considered serious human rights violations in breach of various U.N. Human Rights Conventions that are supported or signed or ratified by the Chinese government, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Forced Labour Conventions, etc.
4. 4 In Japan, on February 3, 2022 3 , the House of Representatives adopted the "Resolution on the Serious Human Rights Situation in Xinjian Uyghur, etc.," and over 90 local assemblies have also adopted similar opinions regarding the human rights issues of Uyghurs 4 , calling on the Japanese government to investigate the facts and implement relief measures.
5. 5 We are a federation of bar associations consisting of attorneys-at-law whose mission is to protect fundamental human rights and achieve social justice. Today, human rights are considered international and universal values, and therefore, attorneys-at-law and bar associations are expected to take a legitimate interest not only in human rights violations within Japan but also in serious human rights violations abroad from a broad perspective and endeavor to improve human rights situations around the world 5 . From such a standpoint, we cannot overlook a situation if any serious violations are taking place against Uyghurs in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region regarding their human rights, such as rights to life and physical liberty, prohibition against torture, freedom of thought and religion, freedom of expression, freedom of labor, freedom in their private lives, etc.
6. 6 Although the Chinese government denies the fact of human rights violations against Uyghurs in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region, the concerns of the international community have not been resolved. On the occasion of the upcoming visit by the U.N. High Commissioner of Human Rights regarding the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region, the Chinese government should accept the fact-finding investigations by the High Commissioner and other international organizations in order to resolve the concerns of the international community regarding human rights violations.
7. 7 Therefore, we call on the Chinese government to accept investigations by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international organizations regarding human rights violations against Uyghurs in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region and to take necessary relief measures for the victims promptly if any human rights violations are recognized.

May 13, 2022