UN denounces forced labor against Uyghurs and Tibetans as a crime against humanity

United Nations experts have spoken of a persistent pattern of forced labor imposed by the Chinese state on Uyghurs, Tibetans, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz in Xinjiang and other provinces. Under the guise of “poverty alleviation” programs, millions of people are reportedly involved in coercive transfers, with serious consequences for fundamental rights, cultural identity, and religious freedoms. Beijing has rejected the accusations as unfounded.

Geneva (AsiaNews/Agencies) - China's “poverty alleviation” policies risk concealing an extensive and structured system of forced labor affecting ethnic and religious minorities, to the extent of constituting possible crimes against humanity. This is the alarm raised in recent days by United Nations experts, who have expressed “deep concern” over allegations of forced labor against Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tibetans, and Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and other areas of China.

“There is a persistent pattern of alleged state-imposed forced labor involving ethnic minorities in multiple provinces of China,” the UN experts said. “In many cases, the coercive elements are so severe that they may amount to forced transfer and/or enslavement as crimes against humanity.”

According to the experts, forced labor is made possible by the state program of “poverty alleviation through labor transfer,” which forces Uyghurs and members of other minorities to accept jobs in Xinjiang and other regions of the country. Those involved are reportedly subjected to systematic control, constant surveillance, and exploitation, with no real possibility of refusing or changing jobs due to a widespread climate of fear of punishment and arbitrary detention. Xinjiang's five-year plan for 2021-2025 provides for 13.75 million “labor transfers,” but experts have pointed out that the actual numbers “have reached new record levels.”

The United Nations reports that Tibetans are also affected by similar mechanisms, through programs such as the Training and Labor Transfer Action Plan, which provides for the training and systematic transfer of so-called “surplus rural labor.” “These policies justify coercive methods such as military-style vocational training,” the experts explained, estimating that in 2024 alone, the number of Tibetans involved in labor transfers was “close to 650,000 people.”

In addition to forced labor, Tibetans are also subject to forced resettlement programs through the so-called “whole village relocation” scheme, which uses forms of coercion to build apparent consensus. These include repeated visits to homes, implicit threats of punishment, bans on criticism, and the threat of cutting off essential services. “Between 2000 and 2025, approximately 3.36 million Tibetans were involved in government programs that forced them to rebuild their homes so that nomads could become sedentary,” said human rights specialists, adding that official data indicates “approximately 930,000 rural Tibetans have been resettled through programs relocating entire villages or individual families.”

According to UN experts, these labor and land transfers are part of a broader strategy. “Labor transfers are part of a government policy aimed at forcibly reshaping the cultural identities of Uyghurs, other minorities, and Tibetans under the guise of poverty alleviation,” they warned. “The forced transfer of labor and land radically alters their traditional agricultural or nomadic livelihoods, forcing them into places where they have no choice but to work for wages.” The consequences are serious: “language, chosen communities, lifestyles, cultural and religious practices are eroded, causing irreparable damage and loss.”

The experts also expressed “grave concern” that goods produced through forced labor enter global supply chains, including indirectly through third countries, raising questions about the effectiveness of targeted trade restrictions and human rights due diligence mechanisms. They therefore urged investors and companies operating or sourcing in China to conduct rigorous checks in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. “Companies must ensure that their operations and value chains are not tainted by forced labor,” they reiterated, renewing their call for “unrestricted access to independent UN human rights mechanisms” on Chinese territory.

Beijing strongly rejected the accusations. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the UN experts' concerns “groundless.” “The Chinese government has always been committed to promoting and protecting human rights,” said spokesman Guo Jiakun, calling on the experts to “perform their duties impartially and objectively and not become tools and accomplices of anti-China forces.”

However, allegations of serious human rights violations in Xinjiang and other regions have been raised repeatedly in recent years by human rights organizations and Western governments, including the United States and Canada, despite China's continued denials.