The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified that the Maldives did not support Cuba's joint statement on behalf of 64 countries at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council defending human rights abuses in Xinjiang, China.

Cuba had released a joint statement on behalf of 64 countries at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council defending human rights abuses in Xinjiang, China, on Friday. The statement had praised China's "achievements" in the field of human rights, and called for international parties to not become involved in China's internal affairs. The statement also remarked that Xinjiang's conflict-situation was being misinterpreted by other world nations, while there have been widespread reports of mass surveillance and unlawful incarceration of over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minority ethnic groups in "re-education camps" from the Chinese province.

Following Cuba's statement on Friday, Director of the Universal Rights Group Marc Limon had tweeted that Maldives was among the countries echoing Cuba's sentiments. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has firmly discredited Marc Limon's assertion, clarifying that the Maldives had not supported Cuba's joint statement on the Xinjiang conflict read at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council. Marc Limon has since deleted his tweet accusing Maldives of joining Cuba to support China's abuse of Muslim minorities.

China continues to deny allegations of grave human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims from the Xinjiang province, which international watchdogs have described as a campaign of violent repression against minority groups.