China is facing growing criticism from around the world about its treatment of the mostly Uighur Muslim population in northwestern Xinjiang.
Human rights groups believe that China has detained more than a million Uighurs in recent years in what the state defines as “re-education camps”.
There is evidence of Uighurs being used as forced labor and women being forcibly sterilized.
The United States accused China of committing genocide and crimes against humanity through the crackdown on Uighurs
Who are the Uighurs?
There are about 12 million Uighurs, mostly Muslims, living in northwest China, in the Xinjiang region, officially known as the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
Uighurs speak their own language, similar to Turkish, and consider themselves culturally and ethnically close to the nations of Central Asia.
They represent less than half the population of Xinjiang.
In the past few decades, there has been a mass migration of Han Chinese (the ethnic majority from China) to Xinjiang, and Uighurs feel that their culture and livelihood are threatened.
Where is Xinjiang?
Xinjiang is in northwest China and is the largest region in the country.
Like Tibet, it is autonomous, which means – in theory – it has some powers of self-government. But in practice, both face major restrictions from the central government.
It is a predominantly desert region, producing about one fifth of the world’s cotton.
It is also rich in oil and natural gas and, due to its proximity to Central Asia and Europe, is seen by Beijing as an important commercial link.
In the early 20th century, Uighurs declared independence for a brief period, but the region was brought under full control of the new communist government in mainland China in 1949.
What are the charges against China?
The United States accused China of committing genocide against the Uighurs. According to the international convention, genocide is the “intention to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”.
It follows reports that, in addition to interning Uighurs in camps, China has massively sterilized Uighur women to suppress the population and separate Uighur children from their families.
On his last day in office under the Trump administration, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “I believe that this genocide is underway and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy the Uighurs by the Chinese party-state.”
In 2018, a UN human rights committee said it had reliable reports that the Chinese were keeping up to a million people in “centers against extremism” in Xinjiang.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute found evidence in 2020 of more than 380 of these “re-education camps” in Xinjiang, a 40% increase from previous estimates.
Previously, leaked documents known as Cabos da China made it clear that camps should be administered as high-security prisons, with strict discipline and punishment.
People who managed to escape from the camps reported physical, mental and sexual torture – women spoke of mass rape and sexual abuse.
In December 2020, a survey seen by the BBC showed that half a million people were being forced to harvest cotton. There is evidence that new factories have been built within the re-education camps.
Click here to see the interactive BBC
What was the preparation for repression?
Separatist and anti-Han sentiment has increased in Xinjiang since the 1990s, occasionally becoming violent. In 2009, about 200 people died in clashes in Xinjiang, which the Chinese attributed to Uighurs who want their own state. But in recent years, a major crackdown on security has crushed dissent.
Xinjiang is now covered by an extensive surveillance network, including police, checkpoints and cameras that scan everything from signs to individual faces. According to Human Rights Watch, the police are also using a mobile app to monitor people’s behavior, how much electricity they are using and how often they use the front door.
Since 2017, when President Xi Jinping issued an order saying that all religions in China should be Chinese-oriented, there has been more repression. Activists say China is trying to eradicate Uighur culture.
What does China say?
China said the news that it detained Uighurs is completely untrue.
He says repression is necessary to prevent terrorism and eradicate Islamic extremism and the camps are an effective tool for re-educating prisoners in their fight against terrorism.
He insists that Uighur militants are waging a violent campaign for an independent state, planning bombings, sabotage and civic unrest, but he is accused of exaggerating the threat to justify the crackdown on Uighurs.
China has rejected claims that it is trying to reduce the Uighur population through mass sterilizations as “unfounded”, and says the forced labor claims are “completely manufactured”.
Coverage of China’s hidden fields
