Asked about Xinjiang, UK's Johnson says attribution of genocide a matter for courts

[January 20, 2021]    LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was up to the courts to determine cases of genocide, responding to a question about China's treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street in London, Britain, January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

On Tuesday Donald Trump's U.S. administration determined that China has committed "genocide and crimes against humanity" in its repression of Uighur Muslims.

Asked about that decision, and whether he would endorse it Johnson said: "The attribution of genocide is a judicial matter, but I can say for myself that I regard what is happening in Xinjiang, and what's happening to the Uighurs is utterly abhorrent."

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton, writing by William James, editing by Estelle Shirbon)

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