Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday that China’s actions against Uyghurs and other Turkish Muslims in Xinjiang could meet the criteria for crimes against humanity, calling for a UN investigation into the abuses.

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is the only region in China with a majority Muslim population. In May 2014, the Chinese government launched the “Strike Hard Campaign against Violent Terrorism” in that region. Since then, according to HRW, the Chinese government has oppressed the Uyghurs and other Turkish Muslims in the region through actions including arbitrary detainment, torture and murder.

Reports of abuse increased in 2020, which led to increased criticism of China’s actions by activist groups, human rights organizations and different countries. More recently, the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy issued a report last month stating that China’s human rights abuses against the Uyghur ethnic minority group breached the 1948 Genocide Convention.

The US, Canada, EU and UK sanctioned Chinese government officials in March for what Canada’s Global Affairs department described as “gross and systematic human rights violations.” In response, China sanctioned UK officials and institutions. China also sanctioned US religious rights officials and Canada’s House of Commons foreign affairs subcommittee on international human rights.

On Monday, HRW called for a UN investigation into China’s conduct, stating that China’s actions could meet the criteria for crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Crimes against humanity are some of the gravest human rights abuses under international law. The crimes listed in the HRW report included persecution of an identifiable ethnic or religious group, enforced disappearance, forced labor, sexual violence, torture and murder.

HRW stated that “there is a pressing need for concerned governments to take strong, coordinated action to advance accountability.” It called on the Chinese government to stop its human rights violations. It also set out recommendations for other governments to increase pressure on the Chinese government to change its policies. These recommendations include criminal prosecution of Chinese government officials, as well as travel bans and trade sanctions.