Mujahid criticises Malaysia’s abstention on Uyghur issue

SHAH ALAM - Amanah vice-president Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof has criticised the government's abstention on the basic rights violation against the Uyghur ethnic group in China from the United Nations (UN) vote on the debate over the issue.

He said this on Twitter on Friday.

“Before this, they attacked me for going to Xinjiang on a peace mission, now when there is an opportunity to discuss, Malaysia abstained (from voting),” he wrote.

Today, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) rejected a motion for debate on allegations of human rights abuse by China against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

A poll involving a 47-member UN Human Rights Council saw Malaysia along with 11 other countries abstaining while 19 countries rejected and 17 countries supported.

Previously, in 2019, Mujahid who is the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department explained that the work visit to China was not merely to visit the Uyghur ethnic group, but also covered various aspects involving peace, religion and socio-economy issues besides sharing Malaysia’s model based on “Rahmatan Lil Alamin”.

He said during the meeting, he also stressed about freedom in practicing religion and respect the right of a person to practise it.

It was reported that the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday voted against debating alleged widespread abuses in China’s Xinjiang region after intense lobbying by Beijing, in a heavy setback for Western nations.

The move came after former UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet released her long-delayed Xinjiang report citing possible crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the far-western region.