“No evidence of human rights violations”

Brandstätter was responding to reports of systematic repression of the Muslim Uyghurs in the western province. “We have no evidence of human rights violations in this factory – that hasn’t changed after my visit.”

Brandstätter traveled to the town of Ürümqi for two days in mid-February to look around the local factory. “I did not find any contradictions,” said Volkswagen’s Chinese boss. “I have no reason to doubt the information and my impressions. Nevertheless, we are of course still looking.”

A report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights last year spoke of serious violations in the area. “We are indeed very concerned about the finding in this report and have looked at it very carefully,” said Thomas Steg, VW’s head of external relations. “We have never ignored or taken the situation lightly, but have repeatedly made it clear that the Volkswagen Group will not tolerate forced labor or other forms of discrimination.”

According to some non-governmental organizations, there are re-education camps in Xinjiang. The VW works council in Wolfsburg stressed that a formal lack of direct action on the processes at the plant “does not absolve the group from confronting the problems and actively positioning them”. (SDA)

Source: Blick