THE Chinese government rejected today a UN report that says it may be committing “crimes against humanity” in the Xinjiang region.

The accusation focuses on camps which China describes as re-education facilities for suspected Islamist extremists, implemented in response to terrorist attacks by separatist organisations like the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. Beijing has denied allegations from NGOs and Western governments that this programme has involved the mass incarceration of Uighurs (Xinjiang’s largest ethnic group) and other Muslim minorities.

The assessment released late on Wednesday by the UN’s human rights office in Geneva concluded that China has committed serious human rights violations under its anti-terrorism and anti-extremism policies and calls for “urgent attention” from the UN, the world community and China itself to address them.