China carrying out 'systematic campaign' to repress Uyghurs: Report

A recent report published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) revealed the participation of multiple Chinese government entities in carrying out a repression campaign against Uyghurs in Xinjiang province. The Chinese government's "systematic campaign" to suppress Uyghur culture, identity, and populations is revealed in an 82-page research report. It's the latest piece of evidence in a growing collection of data proving widespread human rights violations in the Uyghur region. The research is based on previously unreleased information and local language sources, such as police records and budget documents scraped from Chinese government websites.

Since the first reports of mass Uyghur detention in 2017, a significant volume of literature has exposed the continued human rights violations in Xinjiang. However, little is known about the government's operations or the real perpetrators of these now-famous atrocities, and only a few companies or individuals have been recognised as being involved, according to the report. However, the report emphasises the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to Xinjiang's crackdown, identifying a staggering number of offices and officials involved in its repressive measures. They include obscure organisations like the Forestry Bureau, which oversaw the accounts of Kashgar City's re-education camps for a year. 

Democratic nations' lawmakers call for coordinated action to defend Uyghurs

A cross-party coalition of lawmakers from democratic nations has called have called for immediate and coordinated action to defend Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Uygur Region. "Further, we request ASPI to share with IPAC, governments, and other relevant bodies the list of culpable officials referenced in their report so that sanctions can be pursued where appropriate," the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) said in a statement as reported by news agency ANI. It went on to say that those guilty of carrying out the atrocities must be held accountable for their acts. 

It should be noted here that Beijing has received international condemnation for sending Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang to mass detention camps, meddling with their religious activities, and subjecting them to abuses such as forced labour. The Chinese government has also been accused of unlawfully collecting Uyghur's DNA reports and harvesting human organs, according to a Toronto-based think tank. The practice has been dubbed "egregious crimes against humanity" by scientists and medical professionals who have raised significant worry over Beijing's move. Chinese authorities, on the other hand, have continuously refuted such allegations.

(With ANI inputs)

Image: AP