On sidelines of UN, a push for China's abuses to be punished

The United Nations will be judged by how it addresses China's persecution of ethnic minorities, diplomats and human rights advocates charged Monday on the sidelines of the body's General Assembly, calling for forceful action after a report raised the specter of "crimes against humanity." For years, rights watchdogs and journalists have exposed brutal treatment of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the far western region of Xinjiang, where China is accused of a ruthless campaign of torture, sexual assault and ethnic cleansing. Those accusations have been widely accepted in the West, but were given a new imprimatur with…