Two Catholic Cardinals and a former archbishop of Canterbury are among more than 70 faith leaders publicly declaring that the Uighurs are facing “one of the most egregious human tragedies since the Holocaust”, and that those responsible for the persecution of the Chinese Muslim minority must be held accountable.

The incarceration of at least a million Uighurs and other Muslims in prison camps, where they are reported to face starvation, torture, murder, sexual violence, slave labour and forced organ extraction, is a potential genocide, say the clerics.

The statement, signed by five serving Church of England bishops, the Coptic archbishop of London, the Dalai Lama’s representative in Europe, plus cardinals, imams and rabbis, says the plight of the Uighurs “calls into question most seriously the willingness of the international community to defend universal human rights for everyone”.

It adds: “The clear aim of the Chinese authorities is to eradicate the Uighur identity. China’s state media has stated that the goal is to ‘break their lineage, break their roots, break their connections and break their origins’ … High-level Chinese government documents speak of ‘absolutely no mercy’. Parliamentarians, governments and jurists have a responsibility to investigate.”

The faith leaders say: “After the Holocaust, the world said ‘Never Again’. Today, we repeat those words ‘Never Again’, all over again…. We make a simple call for justice, to investigate these crimes, hold those responsible to account and establish a path towards the restoration of human dignity.”

Their statement comes after comparisons were made last month between the Holocaust and atrocities against the Uighurs in a letter from the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Marie van der Zyl, to the Chinese ambassador in Britain.