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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is strongly rejecting claims by five human rights groups that he hasn't condemned the Chinese government's detention of more than a million Muslims in the Xinjiang region, saying he has spoken out forcefully.
He said Wednesday: "I don't think anyone has been more persistent and more clear in talking to the Chinese authorities in relation to this issue than myself."
He added: "It is absolutely not true that I've only done discreet diplomacy."
On the contrary, he said during a visit to China in April he raised the issue publicly.
The five rights group said in a letter to Guterres circulated Tuesday that he would make a contribution by speaking out and calling for the immediate closure of detention camps for Muslims.
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