Xinjiang firms seek damages from foreign researcher over forced labour reports: media

FILE PHOTO: A security camera is seen in a renovated section of the Old City in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China September 6, 2018. Picture taken September 6, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

BEIJING (Reuters) - The official news outlet of the Communist Party of China's Xinjiang region said unidentified companies from the area have filed a domestic civil lawsuit seeking unspecified compensation from a U.S.-based human rights researcher whose reports alleged forced labour is used in the region's cotton industry.

The companies said researcher Adrian Zenz's reports were untrue, damaged the reputation of the industry and led to economic losses after the United States banned cotton imports from Xinjiang, according to a report on by the Xinjiang Communist Party website on Monday evening.