NEW YORK: As many as 39 United Nations member countries have issued a public rebuke of the Beijing government’s widespread human rights violations in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet.

“We are gravely concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the recent developments in Hong Kong,” German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen said in a statement on behalf of the group.

“We call on China to respect human rights,” Heusgen said.
According to the hrw.org, supporters of the German-led statement includes Canada, Britain, the United States, several European Union member states, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haiti, Albania, Honduras, Palau, and the Marshall Islands.

Likewise, the statement also endorsed an unprecedented appeal from around 50 UN human rights experts for the creation of a UN mechanism for monitoring human rights in China, it said.

Meanwhile, the countries have also urged China to allow UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet unfettered access to Xinjiang – a place where China represses its Muslim minority.

(With inputs from Agencies)