Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2020
336. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps Ireland is taking to defend the human rights of the Uighur population in China; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13867/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra341. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to a recent report (details supplied) which concludes that the Chinese Government has been engaging in a campaign of mass female sterilisation in rural Uyghur regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14143/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 336 and 341 together.
Ireland and our EU partners remain deeply concerned about the credible reports of the treatment of ethnic Uighurs and other minorities in the Xinjiang region, including arbitrary detentions, widespread surveillance, restrictions on freedom of religious belief, and recent media reports on forced sterilisation in the region. We have raised our concerns with China in both bilateral and multilateral contexts, and, along with other EU partners, we will continue to do so.
On 30 June 2020 Ireland was one of 27 States to sign up to a Joint Statement at the UN Human Rights Council which reiterates these concerns, and highlights that they have been reinforced by recent additional information now in the public domain. The statement urges China to allow the High Commissioner for Human Rights meaningful access to Xinjiang at the earliest opportunity.
Ireland has previously joined a Joint Statement at the UN Third Committee in October 2019, and a Joint Letter at the UN Human Rights Council in July 2019, which outlined our concerns in the region. The Joint Statement called for the Chinese Government to urgently implement eight recommendations made by the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination related to Xinjiang, including by refraining from the arbitrary detention of Uighurs and members of other Muslim communities. The Joint Letter called on the Chinese government to uphold its international obligations, and to respect human rights in Xinjiang.
In addition to this, the matter is raised consistently at EU level, most recently at the EU-China Summit on 22 June 2020, and in an EU intervention at the current session of the Human Rights Council.
The protection and promotion of human rights is a core pillar of Ireland's foreign policy, and Ireland will continue to monitor the situation and, along with our EU partners, engage with Chinese authorities bilaterally and in multilateral fora as appropriate.
