UPDATE - UN report on rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs 'confirms Türkiye's concerns'

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By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - A recent UN report on human rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China "confirms the concerns expressed" by Türkiye and the international community, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"In this note, it is important to acknowledge the findings and evaluations included in the report," spokesman Tanju Bilgic said in a statement.

Last week, the UN said in its report that China, in its treatment of Uyghurs, may have committed “crimes against humanity.”

The report found that mass detention in the Xinjiang region from 2017 to 2019 was marked by credible documentation of torture, sexual violence, and forced labor, as well as forced abortions and sterilizations.

The 48-page document concluded that “serious human rights violations” were committed by the Chinese government against the Uyghurs and other Muslims under China’s policies to fight terrorism and extremism.

Bilgic affirmed that Türkiye's "expectations and sensitivities concerning the welfare and peaceful life of the Uyghur Turks and the protection of their fundamental rights and freedoms are emphasized both in our bilateral contacts with the Chinese authorities and on international platforms, especially the United Nations."