Pak, Saudi, Russia, 34 other countries come out in support of China at UN over crackdown in Xinjiang

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Russia along with 34 other countries came out in China's defence in the United Nations, after envoys from 22 nations sharply criticised Beijing for the mass detention of Uighur Muslims in camps in the restive Xinjiang province, a media report said on Sunday.

Envoys from across the European Union, along with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada, last week jointly wrote a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHRC) Michelle Bachelet, asking China to uphold its own laws and international obligations and stop arbitrary incarceration of the Uighurs and other Muslim and minority communities, and permit freedom of religion.

They also urged Beijing to "end mass arbitrary detentions and related violations against Muslims in the Xinjiang region."