Parliament unanimously declares 'severe human rights abuses' occurring against Uyghur in China

Stuff Circuit's documentary Deleted exposes New Zealand business and political links to a Chinese company involved in human rights violations against Uyghurs and investigates the extrajudicial imprisonment of the brother of a Uyghur New Zealander.

Parliament has unanimously declared that "severe human rights abuses" are occurring against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, China.

A parliamentary motion about China’s actions in Xinjiang was agreed to by all MPs after a debate in the House on Wednesday. The statement called on the Government “to work with all relevant instruments of international law to bring these abuses to an end”.

“The New Zealand Government, in concert with others, will continue to call upon China in the strongest terms … We call on China to uphold its human rights obligations,” Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said, in a speech in Parliament.

The Labour Party sought to have the word “genocide” removed from the initial motion put forward by the ACT Party, a move which has disappointed Uyghur people in New Zealand.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff Foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta earlier declined to say how the Labour Party would proceed with ACT’s parliamentary motion.

* Labour Party undecided on parliamentary motion on 'genocide' in Xinjiang, China

* ACT party will file motion asking Parliament to debate Xinjiang 'genocide'

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* New Zealand and Australia 'welcome' coordinated sanctions against China, but can't join effort

Similar motions in the parliaments of the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands have condemned the abuse as “genocide”, but the statements were not supported by each parliament’s government. A comparable effort in Australia’s federal parliament failed.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, was not in this House for Wednesday’s debate, told reporters she was pleased a motion gained the support of Parliament.

“I'm pleased that unlike many other countries, where they've been abstentions from motions, where government parties in particular have not voted in favour, we have a statement that is strong and that is clear.”

In the House, ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden said passing the motion was "not a criticism of the country of China".

“It is not a criticism of the Chinese people. It is certainly not a criticism of our Chinese-Kiwi neighbours. In my experience, it is that last group who are often the most strident in warning us about the regime that this debate is about, the Chinese Communist Party," she said.

“We know that a genocide is taking place, the evidence is voluminous ... To take one example, there has been mass imposition of contraceptive devices upon Uyghur women, and forced sterilisation, matched by an enormous reduction in fertility rates in Xinjiang.”

Van Velden first put the “genocide” motion to Parliament last week.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff ACT Party deputy Brooke van Velden has ushered the motion through Parliament.

“Unfortunately we are only having half this debate, this is not the debate that I proposed to the Parliament last week … I had to dilute it, and soften it, to gain the approval of our governing party.”

She said it was “intolerable” the Parliament would soften its stance out of fear.

National Party trade spokesman Todd Muller said New Zealand had strong commercial and cultural connections with China, and underneath these connections were strong personal relationships.

“It is the depth of those personal relationships that will guide us through this difficult conversation, because the conversation will be difficult,” he said.

“We understand that China views any matter relating to its 1.4 billion people as entirely a matter for its own consideration. But we share one planet.

“This Parliament and the five million people we represent believe that it is a basic human rights for people to feel safe in their homes, to pray to whom they wish to pray to, to hug who they love, and to identify with a cultural tradition that best reflects their whakapapa”

Green Party foreign affairs spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman said it was disappointing to hear the leadership from both major parties speak of trade with China when discussing the prospect of a “genocide" motion.

Abigail Dougherty/Stuff Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern comments on the Uyghur genocide at the China Business Summit

“That was stunningly callous, it was absolutely morally indefensible, and it is a breach of New Zealand's legal obligations, our absolute responsibility to support an international rules based order.

“We want action, not just words, we are the victims action, and we are victims across the globe that same condemnation, and action.”

Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the motion rightly drew attention to the suffering of Uyghur people, and the party was pleased to see an attempt not to “water down” the motion.

Ngarewa-Packer said she was a descendent of people of Parihaka, a peaceful Māori settlement in Taranaki that was invaded by 1600 troops in 1881.

“The depth of pain of genocide can never be explained ... We normalise and continue to be okay,” she said.

The wording of the motion was subject of deliberation on Tuesday, with MPs that make up Parliament’s business committee settling on a statement reading: “this House is gravely concerned about the possible severe human rights abuses taking place against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”.

At the opening of Wednesday's session in the House, van Velden sought the word “possible” to be removed from the motion. No MPs objected to the change.

Amid the debate, Ghahraman attempted to amend the wording of the statement, returning “genocide" to the motion, but the attempt failed as it wasn’t put in writing.

The Government has previously stated there was “clear evidence” of severe human rights abuse in Xinjiang province, including “restrictions on freedom of religion, mass surveillance, large-scale extra-judicial detentions, as well as forced labour and forced birth control, including sterilisation”.

Members of New Zealand’s Uyghur community, who spoke to Stuff Circuit for its documentary Deleted, were dismayed that Parliament shied away from calling the abuse genocide. None were willing to be named due to security concerns.

Andy Wong/AP China’s treatment of the Uyghur in Xinjiang has drawn condemnation from around the world.

“It is the darkest day for New Zealand's democracy. Trade has taken over freedom and human rights in New Zealand,” one Uyghur man said.

“If they aren’t calling it genocide now, when are they going to call it genocide?”

Another said there was already reputable evidence of genocide: “We are talking about people’s lives here. People are dying. Millions of people are being abused ... We do not have the luxury of time to call for ‘independent assessment’.”

New Zealand has only recognised genocide three times in the past: The Holocaust, the Rwandan massacre of the Tutsi, and genocide conducted by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

“That this House is gravely concerned about the severe human rights abuses taking place against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and that it call on the Government to work with the United Nations, international partners, and to work with all relevant instruments of international law to bring these abuses to an end.”