The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has, in recent years, worked hard to stamp out people’s freedoms and the right of diverse ethnic groups within the country to enjoy self-determination. All values and principles must align with those of the Party. One way in which this push has manifested is in the mistreatment and systematic abuse of Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in the Chinese western region of Xinjiang.
Located in the country’s far northwest, the area is officially known as the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). It is arid, covered by mountains and boasting expansive steppes. It is also home to a community of roughly 11 million Uyghurs (1); smaller groups of Uyghurs can be found throughout central Asia. Uyghurs are predominantly Muslim and are a Turkic ethnic group. They speak their own language, similar to Turkish. The Uyghurs had two independent republics in the early half of the 20th century, both named East Turkestan (2). The group grew and matured for centuries in oasis towns, developing a strong and distinct cultural identity.
In 2009, after decades of systematic discrimination and institutionalised marginalisation, violence erupted between the Uyghurs and the dominant Hans in Xinjiang’s capital. Chinese officials reported that 200 people, all of them Hans, were killed (3). Authorities blamed the deaths on Uyghur separatists: this gave officials permission to seek revenge on Uyghurs and what China called militant Islamic ideology (4).
Since then, the US government estimates that roughly 1 million Uyghurs have been detained in “camps” (5). The Chinese government has described these facilities as "Vocational Education and Training Centres” (6). Detainees are forced to learn Mandarin, renounce extremist thoughts and are forced to undergo daily indoctrination in the CCP’s propaganda (7). The detainees, after the indoctrination cycle is complete, are forced to register for work in factories under extreme conditions.
This is part of the government’s bid to wipe out alternative modes of thought, with no space for even slight deviations from the CCP’s values.
The CCP also appears to be backing the Han ethnic majority at the expense of all groups in the region. In recent decades there has been a flood of Han Chinese to the XUAR, allegedly as a ploy by the government to dilute the ethnic minority population (8).
Human rights violations allegedly abound. The Uyghurs in Xinjiang are constantly monitored; video surveillance and police checkpoints keep watch at all times (9). There is evidence to suggest that the Chinese government is not only sentencing the Uyghurs to lengthy prison sentences but is also forcibly sterilising women in the controversial camps (10). The US has called the Chinese government’s actions genocide; groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch allege multiple crimes against humanity by the regime against Uyghur people. Activist groups fear that the Uyghurs and their culture may be entirely erased.
China has been accused of human rights violations on several occasions and linked to multiple events. The plight of the Uyghurs has, however, become a rallying point for the international community. The US, Australia, the UK and Canada have announced diplomatic boycotts of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, specifically as a way to highlight China’s actions in the Xinjiang region. China’s response to the boycott has been hostile. It continues to deny any wrongdoing in the region and has in the past few years hardened its attitude towards the Uyghurs. In 2019 it insisted that the Uyghurs were mounting a violent campaign to fight for an independent state and warned that this would involve bombings, civil unrest and sabotage across China (11). However, this appears to be an exaggeration of the threat designed to further institutionalise Han fears about the Uyghurs. The PRC and the CCP need to be held accountable and they need to face the consequence of their inhumane actions.