France condemns the “systematic repression” of Uyghurs in China.

 

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday that there is enough evidence that the Uyghurs are being oppressed.

The estimated 12 million Uyghurs in China are an Islamic minority. They mainly live in Xinjiang province. China has sent more than a million Uyghurs to “re-education camps”.

According to the Chinese government, the Uyghurs receive training there, but according to human rights organizations and refugee Uyghurs, they are prison camps. The people there would be tortured and forced to do slave labour.

Canada called the Chinese treatment of the Uyghurs genocide earlier this week, but the French are not going that far. China reacted furiously to the Canadian statements.