3 August 2022, NIICE Commentary 8173
Julia Jose
World’s leading economic power, China is accused of detaining more than a million Uyghur Muslims in reeducation camps of Xinjiang province. Issue of human right violations that’s happening in the reeducation camp are still not reported and pushed under the carpet to prevent global order from getting changed and to prevent image from getting tarnished in the international or global platform.
Uyghurs of China
There are 12 million Uyghurs living in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region. Uyghurs speak Turkic language and they make up less than half of Xinjiang population. Mass migration of Han Chinese comes as a major issue in recent times to dilute the minority population in Xinjiang province. Research by BBC in the year 2020 shows half a million population being forced to pick up cotton from Xinjiang region. There is also evidence that new factories are built within the grounds of reeducation camps. The evidence of factories and population forced to pick up cotton confirms practice of forced labour. China is also exploring the region for oil and natural gas and also due to its close proximity to central Asian countries and Europe which comes as important trade link for China.
Importance Of Xinjiang Province
Xinjiang comes as important region when we talk of China’s BRI project which is a massive development project stretching across Asia and Europe. Xinjiang also act as home to China’s coal and natural gas reserves. Human Right organization observed that economic benefits of resource extraction are enjoyed by Han Chinese not by Uyghurs; as a result of which Uyghurs are counted under marginalized ones. According to Australian Strategic Policy Institute, since 2017 eighty thousand detained Uyghurs were sent to factories in China which is linked to 83 global brands. International Studies confirms forced labour to make possible the massive economic development plan in Xinjiang region. China described this policy of making Xinjiang the hub of textile as a poverty alleviation program. According to Chinese officials, camps have two purposes – firstly to teach Mandarin, Chinese laws, vocational skills and the other one is to prevent citizens from getting influenced by extremist ideas or their ideology. Chinese government is of opinion that Xinjiang province has not experienced terror attack since 2016 and claim that it is because of camps vocational training.
Allegation Against China
China is accused of mass sterilization of Uyghur women to basically suppress the growing population and they are also accused of separating children from their families. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken equated China as human right violation to genocide and crime against humanity. Police documents confirm that 23,000 residents or 12 percent of adult population of one country were in camp around 2017 and 2018. China cables cleared that camps were intended to run as high security prison with punishments and discipline. Xinjiang as a region is covered with network of police surveillance, checkpoints and cameras that scan everything from number plates to individual faces. Reasons for which Uyghurs are subjected to violence entails mobile phone use and listening to illegal lectures. China says crackdown in Xinjiang region comes as necessary to do away with terrorism and root out Islamist extremism. Chinese are of opinion that camps can be used as effective tool for reeducating inmates to fight against terrorism. Since 2017 Chinese authorities have detained between 1- 2 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang region what Chinese Communist Party labels for vocational skills education and training in reeducation centres. The whole issue of human right violation in camps comes as subjective concern for minorities like few reported prison like condition with cameras and microphone monitoring them everywhere and many others proclaimed more gruesome acts like sleep deprivation during the interrogation process. Life in reeducation camps are filled with extraordinary hardship, lack of freedom, physical and psychological torture according to international trade union confederation. Many women shared their side of story like how they were subjected to sexual abuse and violence in camps in the name of reeducation. Arbitrary detention is used as an effective tool by regional officials under Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Quanguo. Xinjiang government passed anti-extremism law by March 2017, under this law having long beards and wearing veil in public was prohibited. It was also the same year when Xinjiang recognized the use of training centres to eliminate extremism. Post 9/11, the whole notion of Islamophobia comes into picture which makes Chinese government to justify their exploitation towards Uyghurs. It has also come to the notice that Uighur and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang region are not paid local minimum wages which again shows the extent of violation the ethnic minorities are subjected to.
UN Recommendations
The committee of experts on application of convention and recommendation expressed deep concern, urged the government to review national and regional policies with the aim of eliminating all distinction, exclusion and preference that impairs equality of opportunity. Committee urged China to provide detailed information on what kind of measures were taken previously to prevent forced labour in Xinjiang province. The committee requested Chinese government to make available vocational training and educational programmes in publicly accessible institutions. Committee also requested Chinese government to provide statistical data on the nature of vocational education and training courses offered in Xinjiang province and its impact on freely chosen employment.
Former American President Donald Trump signed a law, Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act 2020 which imposes sanctions against those individuals and entities involved in abuses in Xinjiang region and require President to send list to congress identifying foreign individuals and entities responsible for human right abuses. Since then US has sanctioned Chen Quanguo who is the mastermind behind surveillance policies. US have also blacklisted 11 Chinese companies because of their ties with human right abuses. US coming strongly against Chinese exploitation under Trump administration was quite evident but it would be a treat to watch how Biden administration responds to the violence that is going on since decades on the ethnic minorities.
Julia Jose is a Student at Central University of Gujarat, India.
