China rebukes so-called Xinjiang tribunal

China strongly condemned and firmly opposed the so-called final ruling of the "Uyghur Tribunal", which was a ridiculous farce under the pretext of the law, said officials and legal experts.

In a joint news conference on Xinjiang related issues with the Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom, Xu Guixiang, spokesman for the people's government of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said the "final ruling" was egregious in nature and a flat-out smearing.

The so-called tribunal pinned on the "genocide" label and then imposed sanctions on Xinjiang in an attempt to contain China, he said, adding that the ruling severely distorted facts and truths in Xinjiang, wantonly trampled on the order of international law, and flagrantly provoked the conscience of the international community.

The alleged "evidences" with which the ruling was based had been testified as fake information. Some of those who have attended the tribunal claimed themselves as "experts", but Xu said they were nothing but rumormongers shielding under the academic cloak.

The spokesman also noted that the so-called tribunal was sponsored and plotted by the "World Uyghur Congress", which is totally a terrorist and separatist anti-China organization that has long been churning out lies and rumors about Xinjiang.

"Xinjiang related issues in essence are anti-violent, anti-terrorist, anti-radicalization and anti-separatist matters," Xu said, adding that the attempt to try to stigmatize anti-terrorism, democratize separatist activities and politicize human rights was completely wrong.

People's support

"We have enough confidence and strong will to resolutely defend national sovereignty, security and development interests,"Xu said, adding that China has truths and facts, stood on the right side of justice, and has gained the people's support.

Yang Xiaoguang, charge d'affaires and minister of the Chinese embassy in the UK, also refuted the so-called ruling, saying that it arbitrarily spreads rumors, which demonstrated their ignorance of China's history, culture, and policy, and even showed that they were morally despicable.

He said there was no "genocide", adding that the Uygur population in Xinjiang had increased by 3.23 times over the past 70 years.

He noted that the so-called forced labor could not hold water, as Xinjiang fully respects the willingness of workers to find employment and their legitimate rights and interests are strictly protected in accordance with the law.

Yang also rejected the United States' signing of the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, calling the bill that boycotts Xinjiang products as "one hundred harms without one single benefit".

"Lies remain lies, no matter how many times they are repeated," he said. Yang added that he hopes and believes that people from all walks of life in the UK could see the absurdity and anti-China nature of the so-called tribunal and would not be blinded by them.

Graham Perry, a British legal expert, said he was convinced that there was no "genocide" or ethnic oppression in China.

He said some anti-China forces always try to prevent and contain China's development, which exactly shows that China is on the right path. "China should be congratulated, rather than be condemned," he said.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn