France probes fashion giants for 'crimes against humanity' in Uyghur camps

French prosecutors have opened an investigation into four fashion retailers suspected of concealing "crimes against humanity" in China's Xinjiang region. The companies are accused of sourcing supplies involving the forced labour of the Uyghur population.

Protesters hold banners to support Uyghurs minorities in front of a Zara retail shop in Nantes, western France, on March 19, 2021. AFP - LOIC VENANCE

The procedure is linked to accusations against China over its treatment of minority Muslim Uyghurs in the region, including the use of forced labour, a source close to the investigation told Reuters on Thursday.

China denies all accusations of abuse in the region.

Uniqlo France, a unit of Japan's Fast Retailing, Zara owner Inditex, France's SMCP and Skechers were the subject of the investigation, confirming a report by French media website Mediapart.

"An investigation has been opened by the crimes against humanity unit within the antiterrorism prosecutor's office following the filing of a complaint," the source said.

France has a Central Office to Fight Crimes against Humanity, Genocide and War Crimes, founded in 2013.

"Multinationals must not profit, with impunity, from the forced labour of Uyghurs," tweeted Sherpa, one of the French NGOs who filed the lawsuit against the four retailers.

A la suite de notre plainte du 12 avril 2021, une enquête a été ouverte en France contre Uniqlo et des géants du textile pour recel de crime contre l’humanité. ✊
Les multinationales ne doivent pas impunément tirer profit du travail forcé des #Ouighours@Collectif_ESE, @DilReyhan https://t.co/UN7JoubsE1

— Sherpa (@Asso_Sherpa) July 1, 2021

'Zero tolerance' for forced labour

Inditex said it rejected the claims in the legal complaint, adding that it conducted rigorous traceability controls and would fully cooperate with the French investigation.

"At Inditex, we have zero tolerance for all forms of forced labour and have established policies and procedures to ensure this practice does not take place in our supply chain," the company said in a statement.

SMCP said it would cooperate with the French authorities to prove the allegations false.

"SMCP works with suppliers located all over the world and maintains that it does not have direct suppliers in the region mentioned in the press," SMCP said, adding that it regularly audited its suppliers.

Fast Retailing said in a statement from Tokyo that it had not been contacted by French authorities and that none of its production partners are located in Xinjiang.

"If and when notified, we will cooperate fully with the investigation to reaffirm there is no forced labour in our supply chains," it said.

The company lost an appeal with United States Customs in May after a shipment of Uniqlo men's shirts were impounded because of suspected violations of a ban on Xinjiang cotton. 

Skechers said it does not comment on pending litigation. It referred Reuters to a March 2021 statement in which it said it maintained a strict supplier code of conduct.

Claims of 'crimes against humanity'

Two non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Sherpa and Ethique, filed a complaint in France in early April against multinationals for concealment of forced labour and crimes against humanity.

United Nations experts and rights groups estimate over a million people, mainly Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, have been detained in recent years in a vast system of camps in China's western Xinjiang region.

• Canada, France and other countries urge access to Xinjiang over rights concerns

Many former inmates have said they were subject to ideological training and abuse. Rights groups say the camps have been used as a source of low-paid and coercive labour.

China initially denied the camps existed, but has since said they are vocational centres designed to combat extremism. In late 2019, China said all people in the camps had "graduated".

Several Western brands including H&M, Burberry and Nike have been hit by consumer boycotts in China after raising concerns about reports of forced labour in Xinjiang. 

• China and the EU in tense stand-off on human rights and sanctions

In March, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials, citing human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Beijing retaliated immediately with its own punitive measures. 

Human Rights Watch this year documented what it said could constitute crimes against humanity committed in Xinjiang.

(with Reuters)