Twenty-three countries at the United Nations criticized China's mass detention and surveillance of ethnic Uighurs in Xinjiang province, supporting Britain's condemnation of Beijing's human rights record.

Britain's UN Ambassador Karen Pierce delivered a joint statement on Tuesday to the UN General Assembly's human rights committee on behalf of the 23 states including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the US.

Britain's UN Ambassador Karen Pierce criticized China's detainment of Uighurs at the UN committee on behalf of 23 countries including Germany

"We call on the Chinese government to uphold its national laws and international obligations and commitments to respect human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, in Xinjiang and across China," Pierce said.

The group of nations urged China to implement recommendations by independent UN human rights experts and to refrain from holding Uighurs in arbitrary detention.

Reacting to the statement, Belarus Ambassador Valentin Rybakov addressed the committee on behalf of 54 countries, including Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Egypt, Bolivia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rybakov defended China's actions in Xinjiang as what effective anti-terror and deradicalization methods.

"Now safety and security have returned to Xinjiang and fundamental human rights of people of all ethnic groups there

are safeguarded," Rybakov said. "We commend China's remarkable achievements in the field of human rights."

The UK's statements prompted China's UN envoy Zhang Jun to warn it was not "helpful" for trade talks between Beijing and Washington, telling reporters shortly after the accusations against Beijing were a "gross interference in China's internal affairs and deliberate provocation."

Watch video 04:42 Share Tohti awarded Sakharov Prize Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Rr7y Jailed Uighur activist Ilham Tohti wins Sakharov Prize

mvb/aw (AP, AFP, Reuters)

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