U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Decemer 5, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

GENEVA (Reuters) - The top United Nations human rights official Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday that her office is seeking access to China’s Xinjiang region to verify “worrying reports” of re-education camps holding Uighurs and other Muslim minorities.

China rejects criticism of its actions in Xinjiang, saying that it protects the religion and culture of minorities, and that its security measures are needed to combat the influence of “extremist” groups that incite violence there.

“We have been asking for direct access to the region to be able to check and verify the worrying reports we are receiving,” Bachelet told a news conference in Geneva.