cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1973426

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China has on Feb 13 sought to reject a Swiss government report suggesting that it has been cracking down on Tibetans and Uyghurs living in Switzerland under the globally condemned campaign of transnational repression. It has sought to castigate the report’s findings as “false information”.

China routinely rejects offhandedly any report criticizing its human rights record, especially when it concerns Tibetans and Uyghurs, claiming it inherently amounts to interfering in its internal affairs.

The Swiss government report published on Feb 12 expressed “suspicion” that China was inciting Tibetans and Uyghurs living in Switzerland to spy on and exert pressure on members of their own communities, while also engaging in other forms of “transnational repression”, such as cyber-attacks and surveillance.

The report was based on the results of a University of Basel study commissioned by the Federal Office of Justice and the State Secretariat for Migration. The investigation was carried out In response to a parliamentary postulate.

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In its report, the Swiss government recommended examining a series of measures concerning prevention, coordination and awareness-raising. It also wanted to raise awareness among all federal, cantonal and communal services likely to be involved in transnational repression.

China is accused of carrying out a campaign of genocide in East Turkestan (Xinjiang), the homeland of the Uyghur, in the name of combatting religious extremism, and the obliteration of Tibetan culture and identity in the name of Sinicization in Tibet. It is also routinely criticized at the UN Human Rights Council both for its systemic violations and poor response to calls for accountability by its expert investigators.