China 'hacking, surveilling, and intimidating Uyghurs' beyond its borders: Report

China’s clampdown on the Muslim ethnic minority of Uyghurs has spread beyond its borders, a new report from a rights group revealed. As per the data - reported under ‘Your Family Will Suffer: How China is Hackling, Surveilling and Intimidating Uyghurs in Liberal Democracies’ - Chinese agents have tracked, harassed and threatened members of the minority community in 22 nations. The report compiled by the rights group Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) revealed that out of 72 Uyghurs living in diaspora communities in North America, the Asia Pacific and Europe, 74% experience digital risks, threats or forms of online harassment. 

“While our previous research has noted the dangers of detention in host countries around the world and even deportation to China, our current findings show that even Uyghurs residing in liberal democracies are increasingly threatened," said Bradley Jardine, Director of Research at the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs. 

“The scale, scope, and capabilities of China's state-backed hackers and intelligence operatives have expanded dramatically, with thousands of attacks occurring across the Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America since the launch of the People's War on Terror in 2014," Jardine added.

Repression of Uyghurs 'breathtaking' 

It is to mention that the new report now adds around 5,530 instances of ‘stage 1’ transnational repression spanning 19 years and 22 countries. The UHRP informed that the ‘Stage 1’ transnational repression includes warnings and threats to individuals and family members, and arrest requests issued bilaterally or through international organisations such as Interpol. The report said that the cases of intimidation and harassment often go unreported, suggesting that the number of cases and number of Uyghurs facing this harassment may be much higher. 

The UHRP Executive Director, Omer Kanat, said that the scale of China’s transnational repression of Uyghurs is “breathtaking”. Kanat added that there is no peace for Uyghurs living overseas. He also went on to say that the evidence is now before countries with Uyghur population. 

“China is violating your sovereignty, as well as targeting your citizens and legal permanent residents. Action must follow. You cannot say you didn’t know,” Kanat said. 

It is to mention that roughly 11 million Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority that speak a language closely related to Turkish and have their own distinct culture, live in alleged ‘concentration camps’ in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region, which China calls vocational training centres designed to fight extremism. The rights groups have accused Beijing of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour. The European Union, Britain, Canada and the United States have sanctioned several members of Xinjiang’s political and economic hierarchy in coordinated action over the allegations. However, the Chinese government has rejected the allegations and characterised the camps, which it says are now closed, as vocational training centres to teach the Chinese language, job skills and the law in order to support economic development and combat extremism. 

(Image: AP)