Chinese State Media Skillfully Silences UN Report on Uyghurs Dead | Abroad

There is no sign of the news in China itself: state media skillfully silences the report, and all information about Uyghurs and the UN is also censored on Chinese social media.

The voluminous report speaks of, among other things, sudden detentions without trial, torture and forced sterilisation. The Uyghurs, an Islamic people, have been oppressed for years. This is done, among other things, through an extensive system of ‘re-education camps’. In those camps, Uyghurs learn how to become ‘good Chinese citizens’ while renunciating their own lifestyle and religion. The UN urges the release of the detainees “as soon as possible.”

The UN researched the camps for a long time, and was even invited by the Chinese state to come and see for itself. The organization came under fierce criticism for accepting that invitation earlier this year: the visit would have been orchestrated by the Chinese state, and the UN would only get to see a staged show, not reality.

Human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, who led the investigation, already indicated at the time that she was not free to go where she wanted, “because of corona measures.” Nevertheless, she said the visit was valuable, because it provided insight into the situation on site. In addition to visiting, Bachelet and her colleagues spoke with dozens of witnesses outside China, as well as researchers and data specialists. And all that information added together led to the conclusion that what China is doing is wrong.

On Thursday morning, there were some comments on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, mainly swearing at Bachelet, and at the UN. But even those messages, even if they support China’s position, were quickly erased from the internet by the authorities.

Only a single Chinese public figure has responded to the report: Hu Xijin, a former editor-in-chief of a state newspaper, stated on Twitter, which is blocked in China, that the researchers were “clearly under Western pressure.” According to Hu, China “will not accept outside interference.”

But the sensitive nature of the issue for the Chinese authorities is apparent from the official response from the UN: a 131-page document that ‘explains’ exactly what the country is doing in the region. China speaks of ‘re-education camps’ for people with ‘extremist’ ideas. According to Beijing, everything is according to the letter of the law.

Human rights activists are not impressed. According to Omer Kanat, a Uyghur activist with the Ughur Human Rights Project in the US, the findings make it clear that governments worldwide need to take “urgent steps” to protect Uyghurs outside of China. For years, China has been trying, sometimes with success, to track down Uyghur activists abroad and bring them back for prosecution.

Rayhan Asat, a prominent Uyghur human rights lawyer, says he sees the report as a ‘victory’. Her brother is locked up in a camp. She has been reading the report ‘with tears in her eyes’. “It pleases me that brave survivors have been served justice,” she says.

It is unlikely that the findings in the report will actually lead to change. After all, China firmly rejects the findings. Still, experts say it could have a significant effect: governments now have concrete evidence on hand when addressing China on this issue. Moreover, the publication is a moral boost for the many who have had to miss their relatives for years.