Shortly before leaving office: US Secretary of State accuses China of "genocide"

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Shortly before leaving office
US Secretary of State accuses China of "genocide"

Mike Pompeo will have to vacate his post tomorrow, Wednesday. The Republican uses his remaining time as US Secretary of State to hand out against the Chinese government. He describes their actions against the Muslim Uyghur minority as "genocide".

The administration of the outgoing US President Donald Trump has officially accused China of "genocide" against the Muslim Uyghur minority. "I believe that this genocide is ongoing and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt by the Chinese party state to destroy Uyghurs," said Foreign Secretary Mike Pompeo. China has been perpetrating "crimes against humanity" against Uyghurs and other "ethnic and religious minorities" in Xinjiang province since at least March 2017.

China is striving for a "forced assimilation and ultimately extermination" of the Uyghurs, Pompeo said. "These actions are an affront to the Chinese people and to civilized nations everywhere." China and the country's communist leadership must be held accountable.

The Chinese leadership has been massively criticized internationally for some time for its actions against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. According to human rights organizations and researchers, at least one million Uyghurs and other Muslims are imprisoned in hundreds of detention camps in northwest China's province.

They are therefore forced to give up their religion, culture and language and in some cases are also mistreated. Beijing rejects the allegations and speaks of "educational centers" that serve the fight against Islamist radicalization.

Pompeo called on China to release all detainees and to abolish the camp system. The Trump administration is in office until Wednesday noon (local time). The future US President Joe Biden had also spoken of genocide last year with a view to China's action against the Uyghurs.