Riya.Xinjiang - final€¦ · Student Officer: Riya Kewalani Position: Deputy Chair Introduction In the modern world, with the rise in terrorism and Islamophobia, fear and ignorance

Dubai International Academy Model United Nations 2020| 12th Annual Session

Research Report | Page 1 of 22

Forum: Human Rights Council

Issue: The question of the Xinjiang re-education camps

Student Officer: Riya Kewalani

Position: Deputy Chair

Introduction

In the modern world, with the rise in terrorism and Islamophobia, fear and ignorance have caused

countries around the world to take profound steps to combat extremism and radicalism by eradicating

minority groups accused of terrorism and religious killings. Such is the case in the province of Xinjiang in

China, where currently 3 million Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities are held captive in ‘re-

education camps.’ Xinjiang is the largest province in China and is home to 45% Uyghurs, 40% Hans, 6%

Kazakh’s, and 9% to other minorities. Despite the Uyghur’s making up the largest part of Xinjiang’s

population, they are currently repressed under demeaning laws that prevent them from practicing their

religion, speaking their language, or dressing in their ethnic wear.

The camps have been stated by China as being “vocational education centres”, where individuals

are transformed by education against extremism to combat terrorism. However, reports from within bring

up stories of abuse, torture, deprivation of sleep and food, solitary confinement, electrocution, and even

death. The camps had been set up in 2014 under a campaign known as “Strike Hard Against Violent

Terrorism”, but they went unnoticed by the international community until 2017 when an organisation called

the Human Rights Watch uncovered the inhumane practices taking place within the centre. Since then,

China has denied the existence of these camps, only later admitting them to be vocational centres. These

centers are allegedly a place of ethnic cleansing, where Muslims minorities are being systematically

removed from society and indoctrinated to become Han Chinese. They are also made to drink alcohol, eat

pork, and prevented from praying, and speaking in their native languages. Shockingly, this resembles an

idea that had spurred during the Second World War in Nazi Germany, where Jews were placed in

concentration camps to demean and “cleanse them”. Today, the camps are scrutinised and widely

regarded as one of history’s most barbaric events that went unchecked for too long. Officials and experts

from the international community have been unable to gain access to the camps, making it difficult to

confirm or deny the allegations the camp is under. In 2018, BBC News was allowed entry into the camp,

however, due to certain areas of the camps being closed off and statements from inmates that were

supposedly threatened, the visitation is discredited.

Currently, the Uyghur population of China remains discriminated against by the government and



other local communities. The international community and the UN have made several attempts to gain

access to the camps, sanctioned Chinese authorities, and condemned the use of extreme methods,

however, with China backed up by countries such as Russia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,

the question of whether Xinjiang’s re-education camps will be halted or made redundant remains unsolved.

Definition of Key Terms

Arbitrary Detention Is the arrest of an individual without trial and the proper process of law and order. The individuals

are detained without evidence of the crime committed.

Cuffing

Cuffing is a practice used by police officials to manipulate statistics to create a better impression

on the wider media. In cuffing, crimes are made to disappear, as if up the police’s sleeves, by either not

recording the crime or downgrading their seriousness. Cuffing is usually the result of political pressures.

De-extremism De-extremism is a phrase curated by Zhang Chunxian, which effectively means the removal or

elimination of extreme and radical religious views and fanaticism.

Ethnic Separatism Is the segregation of ethnic minorities from the dominant culture, usually for political purposes.

Separatist groups, such as the Xinjiang Committee believe that the integration of minority groups in the

dominant culture causes the loss of identity and ethos for the mainstream civilisation.

Hans People

The Han Chinese or Hanzu are an ethnic group native to China. They currently constitute the

world’s largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the world’s population.

Imams

Imams are titles used for worship leader of a mosque and Muslim communities. Imams lead Islamic

worship services and provide religious guidance.

Indoctrination

The process of making individuals or groups accept a belief or idea by persuading, repeating and

showing it to be true. Also known in common terms as brainwashing.



Internment The state of being imprisoned forcefully for political or military reasons.

Re-education camps These are concentration camps operated by the People’s Republic of China to reform Muslims

since 2014. Over 3 million Uyghurs and Muslim minorities are said to be detained at the camp.

Sanctions

International sanctions are economic and political decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by

countries against states to protect international laws. These sanctions usually include a temporary stop on

trade or diplomatic efforts.

Totalitarianism It is a political concept of a government that prohibits the existence of opposing parties, restricts

riots and demonstrations, and places a high degree of control over public and private life.

Uyghur People

The Uyghurs, or Uighurs, are a minority Turkish group native to Xinjiang in China. They are one of

the 55 recognised minorities in China. Uyghurs Islamised and became largely Muslim in the 16th century

and have since been recognised as a regional minority by the Chinese government.

Vocational Training Is an education that prepares people to work. Vocational education is sometimes referred to as

career education or technical education.

Xinjiang Region Officially known as the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is a Chinese Province in

North-western China and is the largest province in the country. Xinjiang borders the countries of Mongolia,

Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Xinjiang is home to the

largest group of Muslim ethnic minorities in China. The capital of the province is Urumqi. And the current

secretary is Chen Quanguo.



Key Issues

Ethnic tension and disparity

The core issue of the formation of the re-education camps is the ethnic tension and differences

between the Uyghur and Hans Chinese people in Xinjiang. The unrest between the two ethnicities is

primarily caused by socio-economic disparities and the low-status Uyghur’s have been given in

mainstream China. The economic inequality between the Uygur’s and Hans’ was strengthened when a

mass Hans’ migration occurred in Xinjiang in 2004. There had always been a pre-existing notion of

Uyghur’s holding low status in society, especially after the Cultural Revolution in 1966, and the outpouring

of huge Hans’ populations meant that more Chinese companies recruited and paid more to Hans Chinese

workers than the Uyghur employees. In effect, this created disproportionate labour markets and reinforced

the ethnic segregation, with the two societies seldom interacting together.

Moreover, with the rise in Islamophobia and fear of religious terrorism, Chinese governments were

afraid that the Uyghur populations were encouraging separatism and sympathising terrorism. They created

media propaganda against Uyghurs with this intention, which led to further tensions between the Hans

Chinese and Uyghurs in Xinjiang. A consequence of this strained relationship between the two ethnicities

were the Urumqi riots that took place in 2009, leaving 197 dead, most of them being Hans Chinese, further

reinforcing the idea that Uyghurs were different and acting against mainstream China.

Widespread discrimination of Uyghurs

Since 1994, Wang Leguan led the Xinjiang province under a rule that discriminated against the

Uyghurs and put them under oppressive laws that banned them from following vital commandments of

their religion, such as fasting, praying, using traditional names, and wearing ethnic wear in public. Under

Zhang Chunxian and Chen Quanguo, these laws have only become more repressive and brutal,

criminalising Uyghur’s for simply following their religion or even sending text messages with Quranic

verses. Moreover, there is no Uyghur representation in the Communist Party of China (CPC) and this

makes standing up for Uyghur populations virtually impossible within China. Between 1958 and 1962,

when the CPC launched their “Great Leap Forward” campaign, Beijing recognised ethnicity and religion

as obstacles to progress and labelled the Uyghurs as “backward”. After the ethnic brawl that broke out in

the Guangdong region of China, where two Uyghur’s were killed, the community demanded an official

investigation and insisted on the arrest of those responsible for the killings. The Chinese government at

the time, did not respond to these requests and it is this ignorance and bias against the Uyghur community

along with failure to protect and defend the Uyghurs, that led to rioting in 2009. Previously, Chinese



governments had conducted large crackdowns in Xinjiang between the 1980s to 1990s, where large

populations of Uyghurs fled to seek refuge. Time and time again the CPC have targeted the Uyghur

populations and repressed them under totalitarian laws or labelled them.

Making Xinjiang an intrusive police state

Xinjiang is currently one of the most heavily policed states in the whole world. According to official

reports, in 2017, the region constituted 21% of all arrests in China despite comprising of only 1.5% of

China’s population. The use of futuristic surveillance on Uyghurs, and the creation of a DNA database to

track down Uyghur’s that may have escaped the internment campaign sets Xinjiang as a dystopian land.

This constant scrutiny, shadowing, and harsh laws that monitor the Uyghur’s have intensified the perceived

differences between the Hans and Uyghurs. Moreover, since 2009, arbitrary detentions have led to

incarceration and internment of over 3 million Uyghurs and since the Xinjiang province is a police state,

cuffing practices are regularly used by police officials to alter statistics, making it seem like fewer Uyghurs

are in captivity. The extensive surveillance includes the use of voice printing, facial recognition cameras,

and ID cards. Uyghur residents are banned from certain areas on the city and must swipe their ID cards

when they enter a store, which labels them as “safe”, “normal”, or “unsafe”. There are multiple checkpoints

in the city and a massive army of police officers that patrol the streets constantly. Xinjiang currently holds

the largest share of China’s defence systems, with the government spending a shocking 58 billion yuan

(US dollars 8.8 billion) on just Xinjiang’s surveillance and defence.

Abuse of basic human rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a document created by the Nations Human

Rights Council which aims to empower people and gives all individuals freedom to practice their religion,

language and culture without discrimination. By detaining Uyghur’s, China has violated these international

human rights and stands under the scrutiny of the United Nations. Moreover, according to the UDHR,

everyone has a right to a trial before prosecution, and no one should be subject to arbitrary arrest, or cruel

treatment, or be compelled to belong to a particular religion, or belief. The Xinjiang re-education camps

are accused of going against all these articles and have been thus been condemned by the United Nations.

According to unofficial reports and sources, the re-education camps force inhabitants into solitary

confinement, sleep deprivation, ethnic cleansing, brainwashing, torture, starvation, and even death.

Although there have been no official records of these inhumane treatments, escapees have confirmed

these to be true. One such account comes from Sayragul Sauytbay, a former employee inside the Xinjiang

camps. Sauytbay was interviewed by CNN journalist Matt Rivers in Kazakhstan, where she is currently

seeking asylum. She said, “I knew that all people there were not guilty of anything. I could do nothing to

help them avoid suffering. China has lied to the international community when it said these are not



concentration camps, not prisons, and that they are teaching Muslims skills and trades. That's not true at

all because I saw it with my own eyes.” Sauytbay provided further accounts of torture, horrific living

conditions, forced labour, and even sexual harassment. Despite the multiple reports and pieces of

evidence presented by escapees, China has continued to refer to these camps as “vocational training

centres”, denying all allegations of torture and other human rights violations. According to China, these

camps are a way to ensure national safety and combat terrorism.

Freedom of media

A critical issue that faces the Xinjiang camps is the lack of freedom given to reporters, experts, and

other foreign authorities to explore, visit, and report about the treatments, facilities, and life of the Muslims

inside the camps. There have been multiple attempts by formal agencies and journalists to visit and meet

the individuals inside the Xinjiang camps, however, the Chinese government has always refused entry.

Even the Human Rights Chief, Michelle Bachelet called on China to allow UN Experts into Xinjiang camps,

however, China has not yet responded to these requests. In a state of such totalitarianism and exploitation,

it is vital that the media freely examines and spreads information and awareness to international

communities, however, without media, and without concrete proof, the truth about the re-education camps

cannot be determined. In 2009, high school Uyghur students used Facebook to organise protests

demanding justice for Uyghurs. This Facebook blog post provoked the rioting in Urumqi, and in the weeks

that followed, the post was taken down and the internet was shut down in the province for 10 months.

When the internet was released back in 2010, there was a notable absence of social media applications

such as Facebook and Twitter all across the country. This loss of media access to people within Xinjiang

prevents them from connecting with the international community and spreading the truth about the living

conditions inside Xinjiang.

Opposing international views

What should be considered an international crime against humans by all countries around the

world, is unfortunately not regarded as such. The international community has conflicting views regarding

the re-education camps in Xinjiang. While the European Union, Australia, Japan and the United States

condemn and have repeatedly expressed horror over the ethnic cleansing and extreme practices used in

the camps, major countries that belong to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation like Saudi Arabia,

Pakistan, Sudan and others like Russia and North Korea have applauded China’s efforts to combat

terrorism and extremism and supported the use of the so-called “vocational training” used in the camps.

China initially denied all allegations of the camps existing in the first place, however, then came around to

admit that they were simply “voluntary vocational training and education camps” and not prisons as the

international community was stating. China’s response to the detention of the Uyghurs has been that



Xinjiang is an autonomous and inalienable part of its territory and that the camps are just a method of

ensuring national security and a method to combat terrorism and extremism. This split of the international

community and their opposing views has hindered world efforts to coordinate to tackle this issue.

Major Parties Involved and Their Views

Communist Party of China

Wang Leguan, Zhang Chunxian, and Chen Quanguo are said to be the leaders who introduced

extremist laws to subdue Uyghur populations that are still in place today. From the creation of the re-

education camps to the usage of DNA tracking and surveillance, the CPC has attempted to push the

Uyghur populations on the outskirts of mainstream China. The arbitrary detentions, and internment of

Uyghurs are all a result of the totalitarian political systems enforced in Xinjiang by party members of the

CPC. To present day, People’s Republic of China has denied all allegations of crime against Uyghur

populations and according to their representatives, the re-education camps are simply a way to “transform

through education” and combat terrorism and extremism by providing vocational training to individuals in

a humanitarian effort. It is speculated that the CPC has been enforcing these laws against Uyghurs due to

Beijing’s ambitious ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, a project which is meant to make China’s influence on global

trade more influential. Xinjiang is an oil and resource-rich province, but since it is autonomous, Uyghurs

and separatist groups argue that the resources and businesses in Xinjiang belong to their communities.

Beijing has been wanting to exercise strong control over the province to gain access to all the resources

without having the Uyghurs offering resistance. The mass migration of Hans Chinese in Xinjiang and the

oppressive laws against Uyghurs is a means of achieving absolute control over Xinjiang and its resources.

However, these are merely theories and no causation link has been adjoined to prove this as reason for

the suppressive laws. When asked about what China was planning to do about the international pressure

exerted by the UN and other countries, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said that the allegations

were “politically driven accusations from a few countries that are fraught with biases.” He said that China

had nothing to fear or hide as the camps protected human rights of the Uyghurs, while also teaching them

important skills. He said, “It’s another important contribution of China to the global counterterror field.”

United States of America

The US has always been upfront about their condemnation of the Xinjiang re-education camps. US

Senator Marco Rubio had requested an investigation into the detention of Uyghurs in Xinjiang in 2018, and

from those reports, US representative to the UN, Kelley Curie, introduced the international community to

documents of tender offers to build political re-education camps, which gained China scrutiny from the

United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The Vice-President of the United States, Mike Pence,



raised further awareness about the issue at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom and called the

Chinese government to immediately release all those Muslims arbitrarily detained. Upon receiving no

action from the Chinese government, the US imposed sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act against

the Communist Party in Xinjiang and two US-based businesses that make surveillance equipment for

Xinjiang. The US Secretary of State has also criticised countries such as Iran, who refuse to condemn the

repression against Uyghurs.

Saudi Arabia

In July 2019, when 22 countries signed a letter with the UNHRC to condemn China and asked

Beijing to take steps to shut down the camps, 37 other countries including Saudi Arabia wrote an opposing

letter that applauded China’s attempts to counter-terrorism and deradicalizes the Xinjiang population. The

letter read, “There has been no terrorist attack in Xinjiang for three years and people enjoy a strong sense

of happiness, fulfilment, and security.” Saudi Arabia’s UN Ambassador, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said the

letter congratulated China for its developmental work and that “nobody could be [more] concerned about

the status of Muslims around the world than Saudi Arabia.” Furthermore, in February 2019, the Crown

Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman supported China, saying, “China has the right to carry out

anti-terrorism and de-extremization work for its national security.”

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

The re-education camps have been criticised by UN experts, who assume that up to three million

ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims are held in these detention centres. China had previously denied the

facilities existence to the UNHRC but later stated that the centre was simply a training school to stamp out

extremism and give people new skills. The UNHRC’s high commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, asked the

Chinese government for access to the Xinjiang re-education camps to UN experts in 2018, however, the

request was denied by the CPC. The UN’s decision to intervene in Xinjiang came after a 29-year-old

Uyghur woman reported that she was tortured and abused at the camp along with several others. Later,

the UNHRC voiced alarm again over the political re-education camps and called for the release of those

detained on the “pretext of countering terrorism”. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial

Discrimination said it was “alarmed by the numerous reports of minorities held incommunicado for long

periods without being tried under the pretext of terrorism and religious extremism.” In July 2019, 22

countries and international organisations such as the Human Rights Watch, Chinese Human Rights

Defenders, World Uyghur Congress and International Federation for Human Rights, signed a letter to

China with the UNHRC to halt the use of the camps.



British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

The BBC is a British public service broadcaster and the largest in the world. It is also one of the

only organisations given access to the re-education camps in Xinjiang, where journalists reported people

singing, dancing, improving their Mandarin, and being educated in politics. However, on closer inspection,

satellites had spotted parts of the camp that were heavily guarded with wires and towers, that were not

present, or more suspiciously, removed before the visit. Individuals at the camp denied that they were

‘prisoners’ but rather ‘students who are willingly being guided away from extremism’. One of the inmates,

a Kazakh Muslim, who escaped the camp later stated that inmates were on close guard from government

officials and were threatened that if anyone were to speak out, they would be put in a worse place than

the camp itself. Technically, the visit by BBC painted the camp to be a stable and humane institution,

reaffirming the statements by Chinese ambassadors that “Xinjiang camps are exclusively about fighting

radicalism and extremism and has nothing to do with the inhumane treatment of ethnic minorities.”

However, the visit is still under the scepticism of the international community.

Turkey

The Uyghur population is considered to have come from Turkey, making them Turk-Muslims.

Considering this, the mass internment and incarceration of the Uyghurs invited Turkey to take action and

stand up for the ethnic minority. In February 2019, the Turkish government denounced China for “violating

the fundamental human rights of Uyghur Turks in the Xinjiang Region”. This was well received by the

UNHRC and international community, who are still trying to push for the halt of these camps. However, in

a surprising turn of events, just 4 months after its initial statement, the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip

Erdogan said that “it is a fact that people in the Xinjiang region live happily in China’s development and

prosperity”, and that the camps were an effective way of combatting terrorism and extremism. He stated

that the camps haven’t spoiled Turkish-Chinese relationships and that the diplomatic affairs will continue

without interference. This statement received negative responses as Turkey was expected to take a stand

for the Uyghurs, who are a big part of the ethnic groups currently residing in Turkey. Turkey did not

participate or sign the letter created in the UNHRC in July 2019.

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

The Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organisation, based in New York,

United States, that conducts research and activism of human rights. It was the HRW that first released

reports in 2017, about the Chinese government unlawfully holding people in re-education centers in

Xinjiang. Followingly, they uncovered in the same year, that Chinese governments were using DNA



databases to track Uyghurs who may have escaped the camps. They revealed that the database contained

over 36 million entries in the “Physicals for All” campaign. Later in 2018, the HRW released a 117-page

report titled “Eradicating Ideological Viruses”, about China’s repression against Xinjiang’s Muslims and

presented a vast amount of evidence against the Chinese government’s mistreatment and torture of

minorities. The report was widely credited and prompted multilateral action against China, including

targeted sanctions by the US. In July 2019, the HRW, along with multiple other organisations and countries,

signed a letter to halt the re-education camps in Xinjiang. HRW has been vital in this issue to gather

evidence, research and promote activism for this issue. With its wide media reach and access to

international conferences, it has played a pivotal role in bringing awareness to the camps.

Development of Issue/Timeline

Date Event Outcome

1966-1976 The Cultural Revolution broke

loose in the People’s Republic of

China.

The Cultural Revolution

weakened China as it faced

anarchy and many industries shut

down or were bankrupted. During

this time, Uyghurs were made to

do low-status work, and the area

faced discrimination as China

became increasingly averse to

Islamic and Muslim communities.

Moreover, Beijing was trying to

gain control over the Maritime Silk

Road that went through Xinjiang.

Uyghurs put up a resistance

against this as they believed the

resources and business earned

from the trade were for

themselves because Xinjiang

was alienated from China, some

even referring to it as ‘East

Turkmenistan’. After the Cultural

Revolution, Uyghurs continued to

hold the low status and this socio-

economic disparity, along with



their Muslim status which later

acquired a ‘terrorist’ label caused

the Uyghurs to face discrimination

and scrutiny from the CPC. This

revolution first led to tense ethnic

tensions between the Hans

Chinese and Uyghurs.

1994-2010 Wang Lequan, a Chinese

communist politician, is made the

secretary chief of the CPC

Xinjiang Committee.

Lequan introduced reconstruction

in the Xinjiang region, rebuilding

roads, railways, and pipelines

with the government of

Kazakhstan. He also stressed on

development of commerce and

petroleum.

On the contrary, Leuqan began

criminalising local Uyghur Muslim

culture, by banning fasting and

praying in areas of employment

and penalising beards and hijabs.

He also replaced the teaching

language in schools from Uyghur

to Mandarin.

25th June 2009 An ethnic brawl between Uyghurs

and Hans broke out at a factory in

the Guangdong region of China.

The brawl was an outcome of a

previous conflict between the

factory workers; six Uyghur men

had been accused of raping two

Han women, however, official

sources had found no evidence to

support this accusation. This

brawl resulted in the death of two

Uyghur’s. After the brawl,

Uyghur’s protested against the

Xinjiang authorities, stating they

had failed to protect the Xinjiang

community and arrest the Han’s



involved in the killings.

5th July 2009 The Urumqi riots broke out in

Xinjiang. These riots are

recognised as some of China’s

most violent riots. The riots were

mainly targeting Han Chinese

people.

Official sources state that 197

people died during the riots, with

1721 others injured, most of

whom were Hans. These riots

were a result of the ethnic brawl in

Guangdong, where Uyghur

people voiced their discontent

and demanded a full government

investigation. The demonstration

initially started as peaceful,

however, at some point took a

violent turn.

6th-8th July 2009 Mass riots and demonstrations

continued through the Xinjiang

region.

Uyghur mobs and riots continued

to tear through Urumqi city. Police

forces used tear gas and

roadblocks to disperse the

demonstration. The Human Rights Watch

documented 43 cases of missing

Uyghur men after the riots, all of

them speculated to have been

taken away by Chinese security

forces.

The 43 men who disappeared

after the riots are thought to be

the first cases of the internment

by the Chinese government.

According to BBC, in August, over

1500 Uyghur’s had been

unlawfully arrested and

terminated without trial.

April 2010 Zhang Chunxian replaced Wang

Lequan as secretary chief of the

Chunxian further strengthened

the oppressive laws against the



CPC Xinjiang Committee, due to

the riots that took place under

Lequan’s watch and his inability

to halt it fast.

Uyghurs, that had been placed by

Lequan. He banned the wearing

of niqab’s in public places and

barred the use of religious Muslim

names such as ‘Mohammed’ or

‘Fatimah’ for children.

1st March 2014 8 Uyghur Muslims attacked the

Kunming Railway Station.

This terrorist attack killed and

injured over 170 people and is

one of the major examples China

uses for displaying that Uyghurs

exhibit ‘terrorist behaviour” and

have to be re-educated and

trained to prevent such events

from taking place in the future;

Zhang Chunxian launched his

harshest campaigns and the

internment camps against

Uyghurs after this attack.

2014 Zhang Chunxian launched the

‘Strike Hard Campaign against

Violent Terrorism’ in Xinjiang.

The campaign was based on a

phrase Chunxian first used in

2012, that is “de-extremification”.

The campaign aimed at

educating ‘wild Imams’ and

extremists as a counterattack

against terrorism and extremism.

The Xinjiang Re-education Camp

first opened under this campaign.

August 2016-2017 Chen Quanguo, took charge of

Xinjiang, replacing Zhang

Chunxian.

Quanguo expanded the re-

education camps, to house more

Uyghurs. He also recruited over

90000 police officers in the area,

making it the most heavily

guarded provinces in the world.

International media uncovered



the purpose of the camps, and

exposed it as ‘de-extremification’

camps, rather than

‘transformation through

education’ camps, as previously

stated by the Chinese

government.

2017 The Human Rights Watch

uncovered that the Chinese

government had built a DNA

database, that collected genetic

material, iris scans, fingerprints

and blood types of over 36 million

people.

The DNA database is a key part

of China’s campaign to track

down any Uyghur’s who are

resisting the detainment and

internment in the re-education

camps. This program is officially

known as “Physicals for All” and

the equipment for the database

was provided by Thermo Fisher,

a US-based company.

3rd April 2018 US Senator Marco Rubio sent a

letter to the Ambassador of

China, Terry Branstad to open an

investigation into the stated mass

internment of Uyghurs in camps

in Xinjiang.

The investigation found reports of

mass incarcerations in the

Xinjiang region, when Chinese

procurement requests were found

on websites, requesting Chinese

companies tender offers to build

political re-education camps.

These reports were used by US

representative, Kelley Currie, in

the United Nations on 21st May

2018, during a committee session

to bring to the attention of the

international community.

July 2018 Student Shawn Zhang from the

University of British Columbia

found satellite images of the re-

education camps and official

Shawn Zhang used Google Earth

Pro to find 31 education camps in

the Xinjiang region. He also found

government reports, official



Chinese documents. documents, travel reports and

budgetary reports that show

expenditures for the camp

facilities. All these sources are

vital for the international

community as they provided proof

of the camps’ existence, allowing

condemnation of Chinese

governments.

3rd July 2018 A UK Parliamentary roundtable

was held where ethnic separatism

of Uyghur’s was discussed.

Rahima Mahmut, an Uyghur

human rights activist gave a

testimony of the violations

suffered at the camps. Dr. Adrian

Zenz from Germany outlined all

the evidence of the existence of

the camps after the Chinese

government officially denied it.

27th July 2018 The US Embassy in China

released ‘Ministerial to Advance

Religious Freedom Statement’ on

China.

The statement mentioned the

internment of millions of Uyghurs

and other Muslim groups in

‘political re-education camps.’

The Embassy called the Chinese

government to release all those

detained immediately.

10th August-10th September 2018

The United Nations Human

Rights Council expressed alarm

over the many credited reports

and evidence that China had

detained millions of Uyghurs in

Xinjiang.

The Human Rights Chief Michelle

Bachelet called on China to allow

UN observers into Xinjiang camps

and hoped to discuss the camp

conditions and situations with the

Chinese officials soon.

28th August 2018 US Senator Marco Rubio and

other congress members

The Act allows the USA to impose

sanctions against the officials



imposed the Global Magnitsky

Act on China. responsible for human rights

abuses in Xinjiang. Chen

Quanguo is currently sanctioned

as the secretary of the Xinjiang

Committee and all surveillance

equipment being given to China

from the US has been stopped.

February 2019 Turkish governments denounced

China for violating the human

rights of Uyghur Turks in Xinjiang.

Although in 2019, the Turkish

government criticised China, in a

surprising turn of events, on July

2019, Turkish President Recep

Tayyip Erdogan said that, ”people

in the Xinjiang community love

happily in China’s development

and prosperity” and that “the

camps haven’t and shouldn’t spoil

Turkey-China relationships.”

February 2019 Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince,

Mohammad bin Salman

defended China’s acts.

The Prince state that “China has

the right to carry out anti-terrorism

and de-extremization work for its

national security”. This was not

well received by the international

community as some of the

detained include Sunni-Muslims,

who make up a large caste of

Muslims in Saudi Arabia.

July 2019 Two letters were signed by

countries in the United Nations

Human Rights Council, with one

side demanding the shutdown of

these camps, and the other

applauding the steps China has

taken to counteract terrorism.

22 countries including the UK,

Germany, France, Canada,

Japan, and Australia, urged

China to halt the detention of

Uyghurs in camps and stop the

use of internment. On the other hand, 37 countries

including Russia, Pakistan, North

Korea, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and



Sudan, applauded China’s

“remarkable achievements in the

field of human rights and its

contribution to protecting and

promoting human rights through

the development and vocational

training”

Previous Attempts to solve the Issue

Targeted sanctions

The US imposed targeted sanctions against Chen Quanguo and six other Chinese officials, all part

of the CPC, under the Global Magnitsky Act in August 2018. Furthermore, Thermo Fisher, a US-based

company that created surveillance-based systems for use by the Xinjiang authorities, was prohibited from

selling equipment to the People’s Republic of China. Although it seemed as if these sanctions would

provide the Chinese government incentive to halt the use of internment camps, they proved to be

ineffective as the Chinese government simply continued trade of equipment with other countries that were

in its support, leaving the sanction redundant. The sanction would have been much more effective if it were

to affect the position of China’s participation in global trade rather than just with the USA.

Proposed UN letter and condemnation

The UNHRC curated a letter to China on July 2019, where 22 countries and international

organisations urged China to halt the re-education camps in Xinjiang. However, 37 countries curated

another letter that opposed the other 22 countries, applauding China’s efforts to eliminate radical terrorism

and extremism. Due to not being the majority, the letters sent by the 22 countries, were not taken seriously

by the Chinese government and dismissed as Western media propaganda against China. Although the

letter did not manage to bring any change in China’s plans, it gained wide media coverage and brought

together multiple non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who brought further awareness to the issue.

The reason why this attempt remained ineffective is due to the vast majority of countries including nations

from the Islamic Cooperation, standing in support of China and undermining the efforts of nations

attempting to condemn the camps. The letter would have been more effective if it had more support from

the international community and threatened China with serious consequences.



Uprisings and media coverage

Uyghur leaders from the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) have called on countries and NGOs

to address China’s treatment of ethnic minorities, stating the CPC is committing “genocide”. A leader of

the UHRP urged Australia to “stop” relations with China, stating that many Australian Uyghurs were

threatened and wouldn’t be able to escape the clutches of the Chinese government if they were allowed

to continue this horrific practice of internment. The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) regularly updates their

social media page with news about the camps and have gained quite a following, many of the followers

being from Western countries. The public has expressed concerns and terror over China’s actions and

have demanded change using social media hashtags and caused a riot over the internet. Moreover,

Uyghurs from around the world have led many peaceful protests and organisations like the World Uyghur

Congress have demanded meetings with the Chinese government on several occasions. Although these

actions have brought media awareness and attention towards the issue, they have been unsuccessful at

combating the issue as they did not affect the CPC or the camps. If organisations like the UHRP and WUC

had military power and intelligence to intercept China, they would’ve been able to gather enough evidence

and provide China with substantial threat to make them reconsider their actions. However, without power,

threat and strong voices, the media, and smaller organisations are unlikely to make large changes to

China’s control over Xinjiang.

Possible Solutions

Urge Xinjiang to become an autonomous federation

The first step in de-escalating this issue would be to make the Uyghurs and the Chinese

government come into an agreement, where each actor receives their demands. The Chinese government

wants control over the Xinjiang area, while the Uyghurs want autonomy and religious freedom and the

Hans, who are a significant part of the Xinjiang region, wish to stay and seek employment. Firstly, the

Uyghur leaders would have to engage with the CPC to clarify their demands and both sides must accept

mistakes and come to a mutual understanding. Then, using fractionalisation, China must put thought into

making Xinjiang a federation - with the head government in Urumqi, and agreeing to keep interference

from the CPC to a bare minimum in the Xinjiang area. This solution would be an effective course of action

as it would provide a degree of autonomy to the Xinjiang area, where the governments, elected by the

citizens of Xinjiang to represent Uyghurs and Hans, would allow Uyghurs to practice their religion and

achieve religious freedom. All while providing China control up to a point where they still have influence



over the region. Furthermore, the government can introduce a few fronts that would require unity between

the ethnic minorities, such as making Mandarin Chinese compulsory in schools. This way, the Uyghurs

are well integrated into the Chinese culture, without losing their own in the process. It would also provide

ethnic minorities with an additional skill that would make it easier to find employment and thus raise living

standards.

Introduce campaigns that promote tolerance and acceptance of ethnic minorities and their culture

Reintegrating the Uyghurs and Hans together would not be simple without campaigns, training,

and raising awareness first. The key reason for the formation of the Xinjiang re-education camps was due

to intolerance and differences between the Uyghur and Hans Chinese people. Introducing campaigns that

promote tolerance and acceptance of not only Uyghur’s but other ethnic minorities will help douse the

tensions between the two communities and make use of the camps redundant. Chinese governments

need to abandon the totalitarian view, adopt federalism, and work on marketing the removal of

islamophobia from its cities. Educational speeches, propaganda in literature, and inclusion of tolerance in

school curriculums would help to end this need for ‘education camps.’ The government should also

promote festivals and cultural events to take place, to acquaint the local populations with the practices of

different ethnicities. UN experts volunteer around the globe, and international organisations can

collaborate to hold assemblies and eliminate anti-Uyghur or anti-muslimism ideologies from the country.

This solution addresses the issue at its root and ensures peace across all levels.

Reduce surveillance, control and police force on the Uyghurs

The continuous use of surveillance, DNA collection and brutal police force on the Uyghurs strips

them off their right to privacy and reinforces the low status of Uyghurs in the Chinese community. The state

of Xinjiang should eliminate the use of this approach and the militaristic tactics used on the Uyghur

populations and work on reintegrating Uyghur and Hans populations together, providing both communities

with equal opportunities in employment and freedom to practice religion. The police force should be kept

in check by the UN to ensure that armed forces are only being used to embolden peace and not provoke

violence. The DNA databases should be dismantled, and police numbers decreased to a standard amount.

This is necessary to reinforce to the Hans population living in the Xinjiang area that the Uyghurs are not

‘terrorists’ or ‘criminals’, and to help both communities establish trust.

Propose an amalgamated UN resolution

The UNHRC should first launch an international investigation into the issue in order to take into

account the Chinese view, and assess the standards and circumstances of the situation from an unbiased



point of view. Then, China and other major parties involved such as the HRW, WUC, and countries such

as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, etc. should work closely with the UNHRC to create a resolution that aims

at integrating the Uyghur communities back into society, introducing constructive laws to protect ethnic

minorities, and create a system that does not allow China or any other country the power to violate human

rights laws at such large scales again. The most important step in the creation of such a resolution would

be the admittance of the crimes committed in these camps and their unlawful use. The UNHRC and

Security Council must then make peaceful negotiations with the Chinese government, that would allow the

reinstatement of the Uyghur’s into society without compromising on China’s national security. The

International Court of Justice should then also be allowed to prosecute parties involved in the crime to

prevent such acts being committed in the future, by any member of the international community again. The

UNHRC should create a system that would allow them to make routine checks in China to ensure that the

resolution is being upheld until they deem necessary.



Works Cited

Al Riyami, Rawiya. Resolving the Issue of Xinjiang. Research Gate, 2018, pp. 1–9, Resolving the Issue

of Xinjiang.

“Arbitrary Arrests.” World Uyghur Congress, www.uyghurcongress.org/en/category/human-rights-

issues/arbitrary-arrests/.

Chan, Tara Francis. “How a Chinese Region That Accounts for Just 1.5% of the Population Became One

of the Most Intrusive Police States in the World.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 31 July 2018,

www.businessinsider.com/xianjiang-province-china-police-state-surveillance-2018-7.

“China's Crackdown on Uighurs in Xinjiang.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign

Relations, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-crackdown-uighurs-xinjiang.

“China's Hi-Tech Police State in Xinjiang a Boon for Security Firms.” South China Morning Post, 27 June

2018, www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2152749/chinas-hi-tech-police-state-

fractious-xinjiang-boon.

“China: Massive Crackdown in Muslim Region.” Human Rights Watch, 10 Sept. 2018,

www.hrw.org/news/2018/09/09/china-massive-crackdown-muslim-region.

Cockburn, Harry. “UN Requests Access to 'Worrying' Muslim Reeducation Camps in China.” The

Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 6 Dec. 2018,

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/uighur-muslims-china-reeducation-camps-un-intervene-

torture-a8670481.html.

Hasmath, Reza. “Ethnic Violence and the Rise of Uyghur Tensions in China.” The Conversation, 24 July

2019, theconversation.com/ethnic-violence-and-the-rise-of-uyghur-tensions-in-china-19715.



Hayes, Anna. “Explainer: Who Are the Uyghurs and Why Is the Chinese Government Detaining Them?”

The Conversation, 4 June 2019, theconversation.com/explainer-who-are-the-uyghurs-and-why-is-

the-chinese-government-detaining-them-111843.

Hawker, Luke. “China Opens 'Re-Education Camps' as UN Claim 1 Million People Held – 'Everyone Is

Scared'.” Express.co.uk, 19 June 2019, www.express.co.uk/news/world/1142632/china-news-

xinjiang-education-camps-religion-united-nations-UN.

Wee, Sui-lee. “China Uses DNA to Track Its People, With the Help of American Expertise.” The New York

Times, The New York Times, 21 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/business/china-

xinjiang-uighur-dna-thermo-fisher.html.

“Xinjiang Re-Education Camps.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 July 2019,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_re-education_camps

Appendix

I. Human Rights Watch’s 117 page report on Xinjiang’s camps :

https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/china0918_web.pdf

II. The BBC Report on the visitation to the Xinjiang camps:

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-48700786

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/China_hidden_camps

III. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UNHRC: https://www.un.org/en/universal-

declaration-human-rights/

IV. Sayragul Sauytbay’s full interview with CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/09/asia/xinjiang-china-

kazakhstan-detention-intl/index.html

Documents

Riya.Xinjiang - final€¦ · Student Officer: Riya Kewalani Position: Deputy Chair Introduction In the modern world, with the rise in terrorism and Islamophobia, fear and ignorance