ICC rules out investigation into China’s forced detention of Uighurs
Prosecutors’ decision is blow to activists who hoped to use international law to highlight persecution of the Muslim minority
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has decided against investigating China’s mass detention of the country’s Uighur population despite exiled Muslims providing evidence of the crackdown.
Prosecutors in The Hague said “they would not, for the moment, investigate allegations that China had committed genocide and crimes against humanity” because “the alleged offences took place in China, which is not a party to the court”, The New York Times (NYT) reports.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, emphasises this reason in a newly published report that states the claimed abuses “have been committed solely by nationals of China within the territory of China”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The decision is a blow to activists who accuse the Beijing regime of carrying out a campaign of torture, forced sterilisation and mass surveillance against the Muslim minority.
More than a million Uighurs are being held in vast indoctrination camps in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, in western China.
Beijing insists the camps are job training centres aimed at countering religious extremism and terrorism. However, the NYT points to the “preponderance of contradictory evidence”.
Despite this week’s legal setback, lawyers representing the Uighur groups say they are hopeful that the ICC will eventually agree to open an investigation after considering new evidence.
“The prosecutor needs further and concrete evidence from Cambodia and Tajikistan to establish jurisdiction, and we will be providing that early in the year,” said Rodney Dixon, the lead lawyer in the case.
Campaigners are also calling on Western retailers to stop selling fabric from Xinjiang, after a BBC investigation found that hundreds of thousands of Uighurs are being forced to pick cotton or work in textile factories linked to detention camps.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Mary Poppins tour: 'humdinger' of a show kicks off at Bristol Hippodrome
The Week Recommends Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers are 'true triple threats' as Mary and Bert in 'timeless' production
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Jaguar's stalled rebrand
In the spotlight Critics and car lovers are baffled by the luxury car company's 'complete reset'
By Abby Wilson Published
-
What the chancellor's pension megafund plans mean for your money
Rachel Reeves wants pension schemes to merge and back UK infrastructure – but is it putting your money at risk?
By Marc Shoffman, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published