An estimated one to two million Uighurs, a Chinese minority located in Northwest China, are in incarceration in secretive internment camps along with Kazakh and other Muslim minorities. According to NBC, the Chinese government referred to the camps as “vocational training centers” in 2018, but the government’s rather positive descriptions have been strongly refuted by both documented evidence and first-hand experiences from ex-members of the camps.
Leaked internal Chinese documents, which constitute more than 400 pages, have revealed more about the Chinese government’s policies and rules inside the camps. These memos display a strict regime resembling that of a prison, including orders to: “never allow escapes,” “increase discipline and punishment of behavioral violations,” “promote repentance and confession,” “make remedial Mandarin studies the top priority,” “encourage students to truly transform,” and “[ensure] full video surveillance coverage of dormitories and classrooms free of blind spots.” As stated by BBC, Beijing claims that the camps are for “voluntary re-education purposes to counter extremism.”
Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador to the UK, says the measures have “safeguarded” local people and that there has not been a single terrorist attack in Xinjiang in the past three years. Xiaoming states, “The region now enjoys social stability and unity among ethnic groups. People there are living a happy life with a much stronger sense of fulfillment and security.” Statistics proved the last recorded terrorist act in Xinjiang was on December 26, 2016.
However, individual interviews with ex-members of the concentration camps have submitted drastically different perspectives of these camps than how the Chinese government portrays them. According to PBS, Gulzira, a 39-year-old Chinese citizen of Kazakh descent, says she was part of the vast network of Muslim minorities who were taken without trial into these camps. She describes the inhumane treatment she experienced, stating, “If you exceed two minutes in the toilet, they hit our heads with an electric prod.” This is one of the many secret interviews done by PBS. Another survivor, called Rahima, adds: “They beat us, hit us and shouted at us…some people being held at the camps killed themselves.” Based on these interviews and the survivors, such acts of immoral treatment cannot be justified. Much more evidence contradicts the ideas of the government’s perspective of these camps.
Throughout China, mosques have been disappearing along with other practices of Islamic culture, such as growing long beards, and a decreasing number of people are attending mosques for their prayer obligations. The Chinese government attempts to justify these changes by describing the violence of past years and lack of terrorist attacks, but the large drops are hard to neglect.
New geographical discoveries constitute factual evidence of the camps. BBC satellite images revealed prison-like environments with watchtowers, thick walls, barbed wire, and structures that let in very little natural light. NPR reported that there were about 260 camps discovered by 2017 that could hold up to 10,000 to 30,000 people each. Many detainees talked about abuse, such as being deprived of sleep and food, and being subjected to forced sterilizations and abortions. Women also talked about being in constant fear of being raped. Since news of the camps began to circulate, the watchtowers appeared to be taken down, and where there were once barren exercise fields there are now tennis and basketball courts. Reporters have also been allowed to come in during supervision to portray vocational schools, not prisons.
Acts of Islamophobia are not confined to China, and are occurring globally. For example, in India, Prime Minister Modi is denying Muslims born in India citizenship, and establishing a Hindu Nationalist regime. The United States and countries in Europe are refusing to take in refugees in fear of bringing in terrorists. Many say it is essential to note that the Chinese citizens should not be the ones to blame, and to stop these human rights violations, awareness must be raised and the Chinese government itself needs to be punished.