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A30 world news
Diamars 20 aPriL 2021

Group urges UN to probe China for crimes against humanity

(AP) — A human rights China has denied the United
group appealed to the Nations unfettered access to
United Nations on Mon- the region to investigate.
day to investigate allega-
tions China's government "Who has done the investi-
is committing crimes gation? Who is in the posi-
against humanity in the tion to act as the judge? And
Xinjiang region. where is the evidence? There
isn’t any,” Vice Foreign Min-
Human Rights Watch cited ister Le Yucheng told The As-
reports of the mass detention sociated Press in an interview
of Muslims, a crackdown on last week. “They put sanc-
religious practices and other tions on us and then they say
measures against minorities they would like to come and
in the northwestern region. do an investigation to collect
It said they amount to crimes the evidence. I think this is
against humanity as defined typical presumption of guilt.”
by the treaty that established
the International Criminal The United States has im-
Court. posed travel and financial
sanctions on Chinese of-
China is not a member of the ficials accused of abuses in
court and could use its veto Xinjiang. Washington has
power as a permanent U.N. blocked imports from several
Security Council member rejects complaints of abuses the Netherlands and Canada mony in Xinjiang,” Xu said in companies and of cotton and
to block action against Chi- and says the camps are for job have accused Beijing of geno- Kashgar, a historic Silk Road tomato products from the re-
nese officials, Human Rights training to support economic cide, though Canadian Prime city in southern Xinjiang. gion.
Watch said in a report. How- development and combat Is- Minister Justin Trudeau has “There are no crimes against
ever, the New York-based lamic radicalism. The gov- been reluctant to use the humanity or genocide, and The Human Rights Watch
group said the U.N. Human ernment is pressing foreign term. the populations of ethnic mi- report called on the European
Rights Commission should clothing and shoe brands to norities and Uyghurs are on Commission to hold off on
create a body to investigate reverse decisions to stop us- A spokesman for the ruling the rise.” submitting a proposed EU-
the charges, identify those re- ing cotton from Xinjiang due Communist Party on Mon- China investment treaty to
sponsible and provide a road to reports of possible forced day rejected accusations Bei- Human Rights Watch, which the European Parliament for
map to hold them account- labor there. jing has committed genocide said it was assisted in the re- approval until the forced la-
able. or crimes against humanity port by a Stanford University bor allegations are investigat-
Then-U.S. Secretary of State in Xinjiang. Law School human rights ed, abuses addressed, victims
More than 1 million peo- Mike Pompeo declared in the clinic, said it had not docu- compensated and progress
ple have been confined to final days of the Trump ad- Such remarks by Pompeo mented genocidal intent. made toward holding those
camps in Xinjiang, accord- ministration that China was and others “are totally oppo- responsible accountable.
ing to foreign governments committing genocide in Xin- site to the reality in Xinjiang,” However, "if such evidence
and researchers. Authorities jiang. His successor under said Xu Guixiang, deputy di- were to emerge, the acts be- The announcement last year
there are accused of impos- President Joe Biden, Antony rector-general of the party's ing committed against Tur- that treaty negotiations were
ing forced labor and birth Blinken, has retained that propaganda department for kic Muslims in Xinjiang ... completed prompted ques-
controls. designation. Xinjiang. could also support a finding tions about whether the West
of genocide," the report said. could hold China account-
The Chinese government The parliaments of Belgium, “You can see stability and har- able on human rights.

Prosecutor: FedEx shooter didn't have 'red flag' hearing

(AP) — A former FedEx employee for a hearing under Indiana's “red cop," a prosecutor said Monday. Thursday's attack. The police did not
who shot and killed eight people flag” law, even after his mother reveal where he bought them, citing
at a FedEx facility in Indianapo- called police last year to say her Authorities believed they had done the ongoing investigation.
lis never appeared before a judge son might commit “suicide by what they needed to by seizing the
pump-action shotgun from Brandon In 2005, Indiana was one of the first
Scott Hole in March 2020, Marion states to enact a “red flag" law after an
County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said. Indianapolis police officer was killed
by a man whose weapons were re-
“Absolutely there needs to be some turned to him despite his hospitaliza-
intervention and absolutely the fire- tion months earlier for an emergency
arm needs to be taken away. ... But the mental health evaluation.
risk is if we move forward with that
(red flag) process and lose, we have to The legislation allows police or
give that firearm back to that person," courts to seize guns from people who
Mears said. "That’s not something we show warning signs of violence. It is
were willing to do.” intended to prevent people from pur-
chasing or possessing a firearm if they
The shotgun was never returned to are found by a judge to present “an
Hole, police have said. imminent risk” to themselves or oth-
ers.
Mears added, “I think this case illus-
trates the limitations” of the law. Authorities have two weeks after seiz-
ing someone’s weapon to argue in
Indianapolis police said Saturday that court that the person should not be
Hole, 19, legally bought what they allowed to possess a gun.
described as assault rifles he used in