Uyghurs and other peoples of Turkic descent have been persecuted for centuries, especially since East Turkestan was occupied by the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The renamed Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in Central Asia, borders several nations such as Russia, India and Afghanistan. The ~30 million Uyghurs native to this land, have suffered widespread persecution, Islamophobia, racism and systemic marginalization from the Chinese Communist Party to strip Uyghurs from their ethnoreligious identity and assimilate them with the Han Chinese majority.
There are incredible organizations advocating for the liberation, democracy and human rights of the Uyghur people. They have done extensive research under difficult circumstances and against strong resistance to revealing the atrocious experiences of those in East Turkestan:
Mass, technologically advanced surveillance, constantly monitoring Uyghur movement. Methods include: "data door" security checkpoints retrieving personal information from electronic devices, biometric data collection, excessive police surveillance (by the thousands), excessive CCTV capturing real-time information on the whereabouts of millions, an invasive "homestay" program in which Chinese officials regularly visit and inspect homes, and more.
Arbitrary arrests & silencing of peaceful dissent.
Uyghurs disappeared from society and detained in the largest organized concentration camps since the Holocaust. The Chinese government has labelled Uyghurs, being mostly Muslim, as terrorists and a threat to Chinese society. The government claims these are "re-education and vocational camps" are used as a "de-extremist measure". Within these camps, Uyghurs are stripped of their identity and forced to learn Chinese propaganda, language and culture. If they resist in any way or continue to adopt their own cultural norms, they suffer physical and psychological torture and abuse. This includes (as described in the references below): brainwashing, electrocution and waterboarding; forced starvation and exposure to diseases, including COVID-19.
Many of those detained are intellectuals, journalists and human rights activists.
Mass sexual violence against Uyghur women, including: "forced cohabitation and intermarriage with the dominant Han Chinese group", "a sterilization campaign in which 80 percent of new birth control devices in China were installed in Xinjiang", and organized "free 'birth control surgeries' including IUD placements, abortions, and sterilizations". As these decrease population numbers, Han Chinese reproduction restrictions are being simultaneously loosened.
The separation of almost half a million children from their families and communities into mandatory boarding schools. Similar to the Canadian residential school system, these children cannot practice their faith, language, have no familial contact and endure physical and psychological trauma.
Forced labour camps, in which 83 Chinese and global companies benefit (according to the ASPI: Australian Strategic Policy Institute), like Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Volkswagen, and more. With regards to Canadian companies specifically, the "mining company Dynasty Gold operates a gold mine in Xinjiang; and the Canada Pension Plan is a major shareholder in Chinese technology company Tencent, accused of carrying out surveillance and censorship against the Uyghurs".
Poor living standards. Uyghurs are segregated in the southern and rural areas of the region with very little infrastructural development as the mass migration of Han Chinese in this region was followed by great infrastructural developments in their settled regions.
No right to religious, cultural, and linguistic practice. Demolished mosques, cultural sites, shrines, graveyards and a ban on the Uyghur language in schools.
This year, both the Canadian parliament and the U.S. government declared Uyghur treatment in China as genocidal and with other allies including Britain and the E.U., sanctions were imposed on many Chinese officials accused of ties to these atrocities.
For more details on these abuses and information on how to support Uyghurs, I strongly recommend you visit the following sites:
International Support for Uyghurs: isupportuyghurs.org
Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project: urap.ca
Uyghur Human Rights Project: uhrp.org
World Uyghur Congress: uyghurcongress.org
Other References:
Canada’s parliament declares China’s treatment of Uighurs ‘genocide’. (2021, February 23). BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56163220
Toosi, N. (2021, March 3). U.S., allies announce sanctions on China over Uyghur ‘genocide’. POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/22/us-allies-sanctions-china-uighers-genocide-477434
US: China ‘committed genocide against Uighurs’. (2021, January 20). BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55723522
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