The Canadian House of Commons has declared China’s treatment of the Uighur minority a genocide. The declaration was passed by a huge margin of 28-0 in the lower house of parliament on Monday. Although Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and cabinet members abstained, a large section of lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Party and all opposition parties voted in favor of the announcement. As the second country after the United States, Canada called the Chinese government’s behavior genocide. This information has been revealed from the report of the British media BBC.
About 1.5 crore Uyghur Muslims live in China. Uighurs make up 45 percent of Xinjiang’s population. This province is an autonomous region like Tibet. There are strict restrictions on foreign media access. But over the past several years, there have been reports from various quarters that Beijing has been cracking down on Islamists, including Uighurs living there. China has always denied the allegations.
In addition to calling the Chinese government’s behavior genocide, Canadian lawmakers voted in favor of an amendment. It called on Canada to urge the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to withdraw the 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing if China continues to commit genocide.
Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was hesitant to call China’s treatment of Uighurs genocide. He has repeatedly said that the situation there needs to be examined further before making any decision. Foreign Minister Mark Garnao was present in parliament as the only member of the cabinet during Monday’s vote.
Ahead of the vote, opposition leader Erin O’Toole said: “This step is necessary to send a clear and unequivocal message of support for human rights and the dignity of human rights, even if it means losing some economic opportunities.”
Ahead of the vote, Chinese Ambassador to Canada Kong Peiu said that Canada’s move was “interfering in China’s internal affairs”. There is no genocide in Xinjiang.
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