Truss: Hacked documents show China’s ‘human rights abuses’ in Xinjiang

China has been urged to grant ‘unfettered’ access to the UN human rights watchdog after a cache of police files revealed further details of minority abuses in the province of Xinjiang.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the files contained “shocking details of China’s human rights abuses” against the Uyghur Muslim population.

UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet is on an official visit to China and Ms Truss said she must have full access to Xinjiang.

The BBC has released details of files hacked from Xinjiang police computers.

The files include thousands of photographs of those detained and details of a shoot-to-kill policy of those who try to escape.

Ms Truss said: “Today more shocking details of China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang have emerged, adding to the already considerable body of evidence from Chinese government documents. , first-hand accounts, satellite images and visits by our own diplomats to the region.

“New evidence shows the extraordinary scale of China’s targeting of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities, including forced labor, severe restrictions on freedom of religion, separation of parents from their children, forced control births and mass incarceration.

“The UK stands with our international partners to speak out against China’s appalling persecution of Uyghur Muslims and other minorities. We remain committed to holding China accountable.

“We reiterate our long-standing expectation that China will grant the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights full and unimpeded access to the region so that she can conduct a thorough assessment of the facts on the ground. , and we are closely following his visit this week.

“If such access is not granted, the visit will only serve to highlight China’s attempts to hide the truth about its actions in Xinjiang.”

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the documents provide “some of the strongest evidence to date of a policy targeting almost any expression of Uyghur Islamic identity, culture or faith – and a chain of command all the way up to the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping”.

The source of the files claims to have hacked, downloaded and decrypted them from a number of Xinjiang police computer servers, before passing them on to Dr. Adrian Zenz, a researcher at the US-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. United.

The foundation said the files included a classified speech by China’s Minister of Public Security, a senior central government official. This directly indicates that President Xi has issued orders to staff overcrowded detention centers in Xinjiang with more security guards and funding, and to expand the region’s prison and internment system.

Dr Zenz said: “These findings are important because they provide us with candid guidance for policy implementation and the thought processes and intentions that made it a reality.

“It provides unprecedented insight into the personal attitudes of the Chinese authorities and the personal involvement of Xi Jinping. Documents with this kind of insight have never been released before and their revelations are very disturbing.