Canada’s ambassador to Beijing, Jennifer May, visited Uyghur homeland last week and expressed concerns about human rights violations to local leaders, the Canadian foreign ministry stated on Sunday.
Global Affairs Canada today issued the following statement the visit of Ambassador of Canada to China Jennifer May to “Xinjiang” Uyghur Autonomous Region, China from June 19 to 22, 2024:
“Ambassador May’s visit to Xinjiang was part of Canada’s diplomatic engagement with Chinese officials and served as an opportunity to communicate Canadian concerns about the human rights situation directly to the leadership of Xinjiang.
“During her visit, Ambassador May met with Xinjiang Party Secretary MA Xingrui and other senior officials of the regional government of Xinjiang.
“Ambassador May raised concerns over credible reports of systematic violations of human rights occurring in Xinjiang affecting Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities, including those raised by UN experts, and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. She expressed Canada’s concerns over limits on Uyghur-language education and the practice of forcibly placing Uyghur children into residential schools.
“Ambassador May also reiterated Canada’s calls for China to allow UN independent experts unfettered access to all regions of China, including Xinjiang.
“Global Affairs Canada consulted key diaspora and civil society stakeholders in advance of this visit.”
A 2022 U.N. report indicated that China’s treatment of Uyghurs could constitute crimes against humanity. Beijing denies these allegations.
Ambassador May’s visit from June 19-22 was the first by a Canadian envoy in a decade. The visit allowed her to directly communicate Canadian concerns about the human rights situation in the region, particularly regarding systematic violations affecting Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, as highlighted by U.N. experts and human rights groups.
May’s visit followed Canada’s warning to China against election meddling. In April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Beijing of interfering in the last two national votes, a charge China dismissed.
Campaign groups recently urged U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk to address documented abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslims.On Friday, U.N. officials denied accusations that they have done too little to address the severe human rights violations in the Uyghur homeland by the Chinese government.
