The Oppression of a Nation
by Alyssa Pearce
THE UYGHURS, THE LARGEST MINORITY GROUP in the Xinjiang region of China, have been facing the brunt of the oppressive regime led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
BBC News
The Uyghurs are a predominately Muslim group with their own language, and their own culture whose traditions have evolved through thousands of years of people travelling the Silk Road — an active trade route between 130BCE and 1453CE — that made trade possible between China and the Far East with Eastern Europe and the Middle East and still has an impact on people’s lives today.
In an attempt to silence them the CCP have been entering them into “re-education programs” since 2017 when control in the province increased.
These camps are claimed to be stopping religious radicalism and terrorism from the Uyghurs and other minorities, but many people who have been released from them claim that they have experienced extreme abuse in the camps, including sexual assault.
Many women in these camps are being forcefully sterilised or fitted with contraceptive devices, this is all evidence of an abhorrent show of ethnic cleansing leading to many countries, including the US and the UK, to call upon China to immediately stop these practices, the CCP have responded by calling the reports “baseless.”
First hand accounts of experiences in the camps are chilling and talk of the true fear both in the camps and out. One woman said that once she got out and into neighbouring Kazakhstan she “lived in constant fear of being sent back to China” and that if she talked about the full extent of the abuse people like her were still suffering from, she feared being returned to the camp to face even harsher punishment.
Al Jazeera
The CCP have stopped publishing the number of people being imprisoned but there are estimated to be around one million people in the camps, for comparison that’s around ten times the entire population of Stroud.
The persecution of the Uyghurs is not a new practice, since the formation of the CCP in 1949 they have faced oppression. When the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s and central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan gained independence calls were made on the world stage for the Uyghurs to be granted the same freedoms, but 30 years later their situation is still worsening.
International action
THE UK HOUSE OF COMMONS PASSED a nonbinding, all-party motion in 2021 stating that Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in China’s Xinjiang region are suffering “crimes against humanity and genocide.”
Cristina Gallardo
In 2021, the EU, UK, US and Canada applied sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, targeting senior officials in Xinjiang who have been accused of serious human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims.
BBC News
The UK Secretary of State, David Lammy has committed to acting “multilaterally with our partners” to seek recognition of China’s actions as genocide through the international courts.
The current US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has reflected the views of his predecessor Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State under the first Trump administration, who compared the humanitarian crimes committed by the Chinese Communist Party to those of the Nazis during World War 2.
RFE/RL
With Biden’s Presidency coming to an end on the 20th January there are questions as to how much will be achieved once Trump steps into the Oval Office, especially given that Trump's senior advisor Elon Musk has been criticised by the Campaign for Uyghurs over his own comments on the genocide — the “Uyghur question” — he has stated in response to his biographer, Walter Isaacson, that there are two sides and that he wouldn't want to anger China, particularly with regards to his own commercial interests in the region.
Says Rushan Abbas (Campaign for Uyghurs):
“Elon Musk’s comments are deeply disappointing and offensive to the Uyghur people and all those who care about human rights and justice. Especially to someone like myself, a sister to a direct victim who is suffering in the hands of the regime as a hostage to reprimand me for my freedom of speech in the US.
“There is no moral equivalence when it comes to the systematic repression, torture, and abuse faced by the Uyghur people.
“We call on Mr. Musk to educate himself about the Uyghur Genocide and reconsider his stance.
“There is no double side or neutrality for genocide. Companies have started relocating their production and manufacturing operations from China, I would urge Elon Musk to consider a similar move, specifically with regards to Tesla and any other business engagements he may have in China as he would not want to end up on the wrong side of history for being complicit in genocide.”
In a meeting in 2019 with Xi Jinping where only their interpreters were present, it was claimed that Trump told Chinese President that he was right to prosecute the Uyghurs. This has been strongly denied by the President Elect.
The appointment of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State could mean a more positive outcome for American Policy on the situation in Xinjiang, despite having controversial views on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, he has in the past been an advocate for human rights in China, speaking out and co-sponsoring the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in 2021 which brought into law the assumption that all goods made in Xinjiang are made by forced labour unless it is possible to be proven otherwise, leading to the US refusing to buy any goods produced in Xinjiang.
To date this is the most effective action that the United States has taken but more is still needed to be done to ensure the continuity of their way of life for the next generation of Uyghurs.
What can you do?
THE UYGHURS FACE AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE but as with all things political there are actions that we can all take on a personal level to keep this issue alive.
- Raise awareness of the human right crimes that the Government in China are committing against not only the Uyghurs but also many other minority groups across the country.
- Research the situation and support organisations like the Campaign For Uyghurs who were set up in 2017 in response to the actions taken by the Chinese Communist Party.
- Write to your political representatives to urge them to take steps towards keeping minorities all over the world safe from being just another sentence in a history book that records the destruction that we visit upon each other every day.
Speak with your local councillors and your MP face to face if you can.
Alyssa Pearce is a young writer studying in Cirencester. Alyssa is also the Chairperson for Stroud District Youth Council.
Amplify Stroud is supported by Dialect rural writers collective. Dialect offers mentorship, encouragement and self-study courses as well as publishing.
You can find out more at https://www.dialect.org.uk/
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