China committing genocide against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, report details 'systematic torture'

A new report, investigating whether China is in breach of the 1948 Genocide Convention under international law, concluded the Communist regime to be responsible for committing genocide against the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang province. The report said that China is committing “serious and systematic atrocities” in the Xinjiang province against Uyghurs, including force serialization to “break their lineage”. The report has been prepared by a group of experts in international law, genocide studies, Chinese ethnic policies who analysed all available evidence. 

“China’s policies and practices targeting Uyghurs in the region must be viewed in their totality, which amounts to an intent to destroy the Uyghurs as a group, in whole or in substantial part, as such. While commission of any one of the Genocide Convention’s enumerated acts with the requisite intent can sustain a finding of genocide, the 5 evidence presented in this report supports a finding of genocide against the Uyghurs in breach of each and every act prohibited in the Genocide Convention,” the report said. 

"Uighurs are suffering serious bodily and mental harm from systematic torture and cruel treatment, including rape, sexual abuse, exploitation, and public humiliation, at the hands of camp officials," the report said.

'To break their origins' 

The report said that China is committing these acts against the Uyghurs with an “intent to destroy”. It said that after Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014 launched the “People’s War on Terror” in Xinjiang, the government officials followed up with orders to “round up everyone who should be rounded up,” “wipe them out completely … destroy them root and branch,” and break their origins.” The report added that the government officials often described Uyghurs with “dehumanising terms” and likened the mass detention of the minority Muslim community to “eradicating tumors”. 

Former US President Donald Trump’s administration had said China is committing “genocide” against the Uyghurs days before they left office in January this year. In Canada, lawmakers have urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to officially declare China’s treatment of Uyghurs as genocide after they voted for the same. Meanwhile, China denies allegations of state-sponsored genocide against Uyghurs and justifies the force detention as “re-education”.