U.N. expert says minorities suffer slavery in China's Xinjiang

Special rapporteur claims forced labor could amount to 'crimes against humanity'

The Xinjiang region is a major cotton exporter, but claims of forced labor have prompted some global retailers to avoid using its cotton in their clothing. © Getty Images

PAK YIU, Nikkei staff writer

August 18, 2022 17:30 JST

Updated on August 18, 2022 18:58 JST

HONG KONG -- Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang region are being subjected to forced labor and other forms of modern slavery that could amount to "crimes against humanity," according to an independent United Nations report.

The report is one of the strongest critiques of Beijing's yearslong crackdown in Xinjiang from the global institution, and comes as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet faces mounting pressure to release a long-delayed report on alleged rights abuses in the northwestern region.