U.N. report: China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang

A U.N. report on human rights abuses in the Chinese region of Xinjiang, released late Wednesday after months of unexplained delays, concludes that China’s actions “may” constitute international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity.

The report by U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet came in the final minutes of her last day on the job and ended speculation that it might never become public. The closely watched review had faced criticism from both human rights advocates, who worried that it would whitewash state-sponsored abuses, and Chinese officials, who insisted that the investigation was politically motivated and strongly opposed its release.