The much anticipated report by the United Nations stopped short of qualifying the treatment of Uyghur muslims in Xinjiang as genocide--as the US government has done--but said that the Chinese government had committed “serious human rights violations”. Those could amount to crimes against humanity, stated outgoing UN human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet in the document. The grand duchy, member of the UN Human Rights Council, is adamant that China needs to address those issues.

“Luxembourg welcomes the publication of the report by the high commissioner,” the foreign affairs ministry told Delano. “The report contains very concerning information about serious human rights violations in Xinjiang. We call on the Chinese authorities to address the issues raised in the report without delay. Luxembourg will work with partners in the EU and the UN to follow up on the report, in particular within the Human Rights Council in Geneva.”

Chilling testimonials

The UN report states it has found credible evidence of torture and other human rights abuses that were likely to be “crimes against humanity”. Former detainees interviewed by the office of the United Nations high commissioner for human rights spent between two to 18 months in facilities in eight different locations in Xinjiang, northwestern China.

“Two-thirds of the twenty-six former detainees interviewed reported having been subjected to treatment that would amount to torture and/or other forms of ill-treatment,” states the report. “Their accounts included being beaten with batons, including electric batons, while strapped in a so-called ‘tiger chair’;158 being subjected to interrogation with water being poured in their faces; prolonged solitary confinement; and being forced to sit motionless on small stools for prolonged periods of time.”

The report was published on 31 August, 11 minutes before Bachelet’s term as human rights commissioner expired. Beijing had previously demanded that the UN’s assessment of human rights issues was suspended, news agency Reuters reported. It then delayed the publication of the document with a late response containing names and pictures of individuals it requested to be blacked out for safety and privacy reasons. The UN granted the request.

The Chinese government has rejected the report following its publication, considering it slander “based on the disinformation and lies fabricated by anti-China forces”.

Luxembourg-China ties

China has significant economic ties with Luxembourg despite the distance separating the two countries. Since 1979, in Luxembourg, according to financial development institution Luxembourg for Finance. These Chinese banks serve China-based clients that wish to invest in Europe, as well as European clients that need financing for their activities in China, according to the .

Following the leak of  in May--which provided new information on the extent of the oppression and persecution of the province’s Uyghurs--Luxembourg MPs and human rights advocates have asked the government to respond to the revelations, especially since both countries are currently members of the UN Human Rights Council. Luxembourg joined the council in January for a three-year period, while China will see its mandate end after 2022. The council regularly faces criticism for including human rights abusers, but foreign minister (LSAP) has previously said

There was also criticism of the fact that Grand Duke Henri, in China for the winter Olympics in his role as head of the Luxembourg Olympic Committe, took time out for a face-to-face meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Delano has contacted the China-Luxembourg chamber of commerce for comment but has not received a response at the time of publication.