BREAKING: Leaked documents expose inner workings of internment camps and mass surveillance in China’s far west Xinjiang region.
, both Uighurs and Han Chinese.
The statement said that religious freedom and the personal freedom of detainees was “fully respected” in Xinjiang. Qurban told the AP he was locked in a cell with 10 others last year and told not to engage in “religious activities” like praying. They were forced to sit on plastic stools in rigid postures for hours at a time. Talk was forbidden, and two guards kept watch 24 hours a day. Inspectors checked that nails were short and faces trimmed of mustaches and beards, traditionally worn by pious Muslims.“It wasn’t education, it was just punishment,” said Qurban, who was held for nine months.
The documents make clear that many of those detained have not actually done anything. One document explicitly states that the purpose of the pervasive digital surveillance is “to prevent problems before they happen” -- in other words, to calculate who might rebel and detain them before they have a chance.
The IJOP zoomed in on users of “Kuai Ya,” a mobile application similar to the iPhone’s Airdrop, which had become popular in Xinjiang because it allows people to exchange videos and messages privately. One bulletin showed that officials identified more than 40,000 “Kuai Ya” users for investigation and potential detention; of those, 32 were listed as belonging to “terrorist organizations.”
Despite the Chinese government’s insistence that the camps are vocational training centers for the poor and uneducated, the documents show that those rounded up included party officials and university students. The detention campaign is sweeping. A bulletin notes that in a single week in June 2017, the IJOP identified 24,612 “suspicious persons” in southern Xinjiang, with 15,683 sent to “education and training,” 706 to prison and 2,096 to house arrest. It is unknown how typical this week might be. Local officials claim far less than a million are in “training,” but researchers estimate up to 1.8 million have been detained at one point or another.
Detainees are only allowed to leave if absolutely necessary, for example because of illness, and even so must have somebody “specially accompany, monitor and control” them. Bath time and toilet breaks are strictly managed and controlled “to prevent escapes.” And cell phones are strictly forbidden to stop “collusion between inside and outside.”
Recent satellite imagery shows that guard towers and fencing have been removed from some facilities, suggesting the region may have been softening restrictions in response to global criticism. Shohrat Zakir, the governor of Xinjiang, said in March that those detained can now request time and go home on weekends, a claim the AP could not independently verify.
The indoctrination goes along with what is called “manner education,” where behavior is dictated down to ensuring “timely haircuts and shaves,” “regular change of clothes” and “bathing once or twice a week.” The tone, experts say, echoes a general perception by the Han Chinese government that Uighurs are prone to violence and need to be civilized -- in much the same way white colonialists treated indigenous people in the U.S., Canada and Australia.
A former staffer at Xinjiang TV now in Europe was also selected to become a Mandarin teacher during his month-long detention in 2017. Twice a day, detainees were lined up and inspected by police, and a few were questioned in Mandarin at random, he told the AP. Those who couldn’t respond in Mandarin were beaten or deprived of food for days. Otherwise, speaking was forbidden.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Secret Chinese documents reveal inner workings of Muslim detention campsBeijing claims they’re vocational centers. But a cache of leaked records show the sites were designed to be run like prisons.
Leer más »
Secret documents reveal how China mass detention camps workA classified blueprint shows that the detention camps that hold more than a million ethnic minorities in China’s far west are really ideological and behavioral re-education centers to rewire their language and thinking.
Leer más »
Secret documents reveal how China mass detention camps workThe watch towers, double-locked doors and video surveillance in the Chinese camps are there “to prevent escapes.” Uighurs and other minorities held inside are scored on how well they speak the dominant Mandarin language and follow strict rules on everything down to bathing and using the toilet, scores
Leer más »
Absence of China a 'loss' at Chinese-language 'Oscars' in TaiwanChina's film regulator said in August it was blocking the country's movie industry from participating in Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards without giving a reason, in the latest sign of rising tensions between Beijing and the Chinese-claimed island.
Leer más »
The Victoria's Secret fashion show is officially cancelledVictoria's Secret parent company L Brands confirmed on Thursday that the iconic fashion show, which has aired annually since 1995, is cancelled.
Leer más »
Nikola Motor’s Bombshell Battery Claim Irks Experts, Who Think Its Secret May Lie In SulfurCEO Trevor Milton seems dead set on challenging Elon Musk’s dominance for audacious transportation ideas with a claim that his own electric vehicle startup has a breakthrough cell that's lighter, cheaper and more powerful than lithium-ion.
Leer más »