China on Thursday interrupted and attempted to block a prominent Uyghur activist from speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), where he pointed out the grim human rights violations by Beijing and sought the urgent intervention of the global body. Uyghur Congress president Dolkun Isa who is based in Germany was interrupted as he began speaking in a general debate during the 52nd Session of the UNHRC. As soon as Isa began speaking, a Chinese diplomat interrupted his speech and demanded the floor to object and UN Human Rights Council President Vaclav Balek allowed China’s representative to make a statement.
The Chinese diplomat said Dolkun Isa is not a representative of the “so-called NGO” and called him an “anti-China and separatist, violent element.” “President, we have reason to challenge the qualification of that speaker. He is not the representative of a so-called NGO, still a less human rights defender. Rather, he is an anti-China and separatist violent element,” the Chinese diplomat at the UNHRC said.
Representatives of the US and Eritrea took to the floor to express their support to Isa and the UN official allowed the Uyghur activist to make his remarks. Speaking exclusively to ANI, Dolkun Isa said, “China is very afraid of truth and justice. Today, I made a statement and China tried to stop me and called me a separatist and anti-China. I am not demanding any separation from China. I am not demanding Shanghai or Beijing. This is my country (Xinjiang), it’s an occupied territory and China should accept this”. He emphasised by adding that the Human Rights Council of the UN is a forum where all human rights concerns must be raised.
“I am raising here a human rights issue and China government is committing genocide against Uyghurs. But, the Chinese government is unhappy and they don’t want the Uyghur issue to become an international issue,” he added.
Isa said, “Chinese government is trying to attack me, trying to stop me and this is not the first time, ofcourse”. Earlier, in his intervention,