US tells China: Give UN rights chief wide access in Xinjiang

The United States wants China’s government to give “unhindered and unsupervised access” to the U.N. human rights chief when she visits China and its western Xinjiang region in May

GENEVA -- The United States called on China's government Wednesday to grant “unhindered and unsupervised access" to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, when she visits China and its western Xinjiang region in May.

Ambassador Sheba Crocker, the U.S. permanent representative to U.N. institutions in Geneva, said any interference in the work of Bachelet's team would support “propaganda" that denies alleged rights abuses against members of the Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang and others.

Crocker said a credible visit by the U.N. human rights chief and her team should involve access to “the locations where atrocities and human rights violations and abuses” have been reported.

“We call upon the People’s Republic of China to ensure that her visit is accorded unhindered and unsupervised access to all areas of Xinjiang and to private meetings with a diverse range of Uyghur individuals and civil society groups,” Crocker said in a statement.