Uyghur Camp Survivor Criticises UK Over China Embassy Plans
A former detainee of China’s Xinjiang internment camps has accused the UK government of undermining human rights after approving plans for a new Chinese mega-embassy in London.
Sayragul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh who fled China in 2018, said Prime Minister Keir Starmer was prioritising economic ties with China over international law.
«The recent activities of the UK government have left us in deep anguish,» she said, accusing Britain of hypocrisy in promoting democratic values while strengthening relations with Beijing.
Sauytbay says she was forced to work in a detention facility in the Xinjiang region, where she witnessed widespread abuses, including torture and sexual violence. She described a so-called «black room» where detainees were allegedly subjected to abuse out of sight of surveillance.
China has defended the camps as «vocational training centres» aimed at countering extremism, but rights groups and a United Nations report have raised concerns that the mass detention of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities may constitute crimes against humanity.
The criticism comes as the UK seeks to reset relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Starmer visited Beijing earlier this year, emphasising economic cooperation, while the embassy project has drawn warnings from security experts and human rights advocates.
Sauytbay, now living in Sweden after being granted asylum, said she still fears for her safety, warning that China’s global influence poses a threat to activists abroad.
The UK Foreign Office and China’s government have not yet responded to the latest remarks.
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