"I am concerned about the Uyghurs," Bachelet said at the 45th session of the Human Rights Council on Monday.

"My Office continues to engage with the Chinese Government on the situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the impact on human rights of its policies," she said.

"Following an invitation extended by the Government of China, I have been discussing with the authorities the conditions of a possible visit to Xinjiang when conditions are conducive," she said.

It is believed that authorities have placed countless people, mostly Uyghur Muslims, in concentration camps.

China has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in connection with the camps and said it is fighting against terrorism and religious extremism. 

Who are Uyghur Muslims?

Uyghur Muslims are a Turkic minority ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. It is now widely publicized that their human rights are crushed by China and they were sent to "re-education camps" by the communist regime in Beijing.

The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

An American representative at the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said in 2018 that the committee had received many credible reports that 1 million ethnic Uyghurs in China have been held in "re-education camps" by the Chinese authorities.

Image:  UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre