China Uighurs: One million held in political camps, UN told

China Uighurs: One million held in political camps, UN toldChina Uighurs: One million held in political camps, UN toldA UN human rights committee has heard there are credible reports that China is holding a million Uighurs in "counter-extremism centres".

Gay McDougall, a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, raised the claims at a two-day UN meeting on China.

She said she was concerned by reports that Beijing had "turned the Uighur autonomous region into something that resembles a massive internment camp".

China did not immediately respond. Its 50-strong delegation said it would address questions on Monday, when the session in Geneva continues. Beijing has previously denied the existence of such camps.

The Uighurs are a Muslim ethnic minority mostly based in China's Xinjiang province. They make up around 45% of the population there.
Xinjiang is officially designated as an autonomous region within China, like Tibet to its south.

Source : BBC