June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

[ 1 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

CHINA’S TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION LEAVES NO SPACE TO RUN Beijing’s peaceful rise has been paralleled by the increasing repression of Uyghurs on ’s behalf around the world. Over the last quarter-century, as China’s back to China of over 851 Uyghurs across 23 “peaceful rise” carried the country to new countries,” the report, titled “No Space Left economic and geopolitical heights, Beijing to Run: China’s Transnational Repression was engaged in an ever-expanding campaign of Uyghurs,” states. From 1997 to March of transnational repression. From neighbor- 2021, the researchers identified 28 countries ing Pakistan and the states of Central Asia, to around the world which have been “complic- Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to Thailand, Cam- it in China’s harassment and intimidation of bodia, and Myanmar, China has seen through Uyghurs.” the detention and, at times, deportation of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities fleeing The dataset contains 1,151 cases of Uyghurs Beijing’s grasp. being detained in countries outside China and 395 cases of deportation, extradition, A new report and dataset put together by re- or rendition back to China. The researchers searchers Bradley Jardine, Edward Lemon, note that the dataset is just the “tip of the ice- and Natalie Hall under a joint initiative by berg,” as it relies on publicly reported cases the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs of repression. and the Uyghur Project is an effort to comprehensively analyze the pat- China’s efforts have evolved over time, with terns of China’s transnational repression. the report identifying three distinct phases: from 1991 to 2007, 2008 to 2013, and 2014 “Between 1997 and December 2016, China to March 2021. was involved in the detention or deportation [ 1 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021

The early phase (1991-2007), coming in Pakistan Lu Shulin met with Tal- the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse, in- iban leader Mullah Omar, elic- cludes cases concentrated largely in neigh- iting assurances that the group boring Central and South Asia. Central Asia had no interest in interfering in was home to a large Uyghur diaspora and the China’s “domestic issues and peoples of the region share ethnic, linguistic affairs.” Although the Taliban and cultural ties. In the 1990s, as communi- ties in the newly independent states formed would later rebuff U.S. requests organizations dedicated to Uyghur culture to hand over al-Qaida leader and rights, Beijing grew increasingly con- Osama bin Laden, in 2000 the cerned of possible cross-border influence Taliban turned over 13 Uyghurs and separatism. According to the report, as it had previously granted “po- early as 1994, “China began using economic litical asylum” to China. statecraft … Chinese officials toured the re- gion to promote trade deals in exchange for In 1997, as Pakistan grew closer to its cooperation in silencing the Uyghur diaspo- “all-weather” ally China, Islamabad deport- ra.” ed 14 Uyghurs who had been studying at Pakistani madrassas. After they were driven In Afghanistan and Pakistan in across the border, they were executed. Ac- this early period, China courted cording to the report’s dataset, this is the first the Taliban for its assistance too. instance of extradition of Uyghurs to China In 1998, Chinese Ambassador to at Beijing’s request.

[ 2 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press too, abetted by the introduction of algorithmic surveillance, which aided authorities in de- termining if an individual might be an extremist based on foreign ties and other “suspicious” fea- tures. This latest phase saw the participation of Muslim-major- ity countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Ironical- ly, ties with or travel to a country In that early phase, the researchers identified like Saudi Arabia is deemed by at least 89 Uyghurs from nine countries de- Beijing as “suspicious,” yet Saudi authorities tained or deported to China. In the second have had few qualms about backing China’s phase (2008-2013), Beijing’s efforts and policies and in the past four years reach expanded to 130 detained or returned have deported at least six Uyghurs to China from 15 countries. who were visiting Saudi Arabia on pilgrim- age or living there legally. The 2009 violence in Urumqi and ensuing crackdown triggered an exodus of Uyghurs, The researchers stress in the report’s con- many trying to reach Turkey — then per- clusion that transnational repression is but a ceived as a safe haven — via Pakistan and part of the wider patterns of “global authori- Southeast Asia. Many ended up stuck in tarianism” in which “autocratic regimes like Southeast Asia, with Chinese economic re- China actively cooperate with one another lations again a convenient tool for leverage and repurpose institutions to protect them- in countries like Cambodia, Laos, and Myan- selves from accountability for human rights mar. Thailand is actually the largest source abuses.” This, in part, explains the paradoxi- identified in the report, given a group of 424 cal support of Muslim-majority authoritarian Uyghurs who were detained in 2014. Thai states for the repression of Muslims in Chi- authorities sent around 170 women and chil- na. Economics also forms an important teth- dren on to Turkey but extradited 109 men to er. Of the top 10 countries where China used China and continue to detain the remainder. transnational repression against the Uyghurs, “The fact that Thailand has been the largest the report notes that China is the largest cred- source of China’s transnational repression itor in four (Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia in terms of numbers is as much a factor of and Myanmar). The Belt and Road Initiative, Thailand’s poor record regarding refugees as in both its political and economic aspects, it is of Chinese influence in the country,” the undergirds China’s increasing reach. researchers noted. By Catherine Putz The third phase, from 2014 to the March 2021, marked an even sharper rise: a total of 1,327 detained or deported to China from 20 countries. As Chinese pressure and repres- sion in Xinjiang reached new heights, its global efforts to pursue Uyghurs intensified

[ 3 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021

MORE THAN 40 COUNTRIES URGE CHINA TO LET UN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF INTO XINJIANG AS CONCERNS FOR UYGHURS MOUNT

More than 40 countries urged China on Tuesday to allow the UN human rights chief immediate access to Xinjiang to look into reports that more than a mil- lion people have been unlawfully detained there, some subjected to or forced labour.

The joint statement on China was read out “We urge China to allow immediate, mean- by Canadian Ambassador Leslie Norton on ingful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for behalf of countries including Australia, Brit- independent observers, including the High ain, France, Germany, Japan and the United Commissioner,” it added, referring to Mi- States to the UN Human Rights Council. chelle Bachelet. Beijing denies all allegations of abuse of Ms Bachelet told the council on Monday that Uyghurs and describes the camps as voca- she hoped to agree on terms for a visit this tional training facilities to combat religious year to China, including Xinjiang, to exam- extremism. “Credible reports indicate that over a million people have been arbitrarily detained in Xin- jiang and that there is widespread surveil- lance disproportionately targeting Uyghurs and members of other minorities and restric- tions on fundamental freedoms and Uyghur culture,” the joint statement said. [ 4 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press ine reports of serious violations against Mus- China and its allies called for an investiga- lim Uyghurs. tion into the discovery of the remains of in- digenous children in Canada at the site of a Her office has been negotiating access since former boarding school, prompting an angry September 2018. response from Canadian Prime Minister Jus- Chinese diplomats dismiss statement as ‘po- tin Trudeau. litically driven’ The remains of 215 children were found at Jiang Yingfeng, a senior diplomat at China’s the Kamloops Indian Residential School in mission to the in Geneva, re- British Columbia that closed in 1978, the jected the statement on Tuesday as interfer- Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation said on ence driven by “political motives”. May 28. “We welcome the visit by the High Com- “We call for a thorough and impartial in- missioner to China, to Xinjiang,” he said. vestigation into all cases where crimes were committed against the indigenous people, “This visit is for promoting exchanges and especially children, so as to bring those re- cooperation rather than an investigation sponsible to justice, and offer full remedy based on so-called presumption of guilt,” he to victims,” Jiang Duan, a senior official at told the council without giving a timeline. China’s mission to the United Nations in Ge- neva, told the Human Rights Council. The Canadian-led statement cited reports of torture, forced sterilisation, sexual violence Mr Trudeau, condemning what he called “the and forced separation of children from their systemic abuse and human rights violations” parents. in Xinjiang, said a Canadian truth and recon- ciliation commission had worked from 2008 It decried a law imposed a year ago in Hong to 2015 to address the mistreatment of the Kong against what China deems secession indigenous population. and terrorism. The first trials are due to begin this week of “Where is China’s truth and people arrested under the legislation. reconciliation commission? Where is their truth? Where is “We continue to be deeply concerned about the openness that Canada has the deterioration of fundamental freedoms in always shown and the respon- Hong Kong under the National Security Law sibility that Canada has taken and about the human rights situation in Ti- for the terrible mistakes of the bet,” it said. past?” Mr Trudeau asked. Mr Jiang said, “Since the national security Mr Jiang read the statement out on behalf law, Hong Kong has witnessed change from of countries such as Russia, Belarus, Iran, chaos to rule of law.” North Korea, Syria and Venezuela, all of Beijing with the first move which have been criticised by Western na- tions for human rights violations. Before Canada read out the joint statement on Tuesday, China and several other coun- By ABC/ tries read out their own.

[ 5 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021

‘UYGHUR TRIBUNAL’ OPENS WITH TESTIMONY OF ALLEGED , TORTURE Dozens are giving their accounts to a people’s tribunal in London, which China has dismissed as a ‘clumsy public opinion show’. A London-based people’s tribunal is investi- jiang’s capital Urumqi, said she was ordered gating whether China’s alleged persecution by the bosses to of its Uyghur minority amounts to , take Mandarin-language classes in two fet- with witness testimony detailing mass tor- id and crowded “re-education” camps, one ture, rape and a range of other abuses. male and one female, for Uyghurs. The “Uyghur Tribunal” has no state backing The so-called students were made to wear and any judgement would not be binding on shackles during hours-long classes, she told any government, but it has drawn a furious the tribunal. response from Beijing, which dismissed the hearings as a “machine producing lies”. “Guards in the camp did not treat the prison- ers as human beings. They were treated less The first hearings take place over four days, than dogs,” Sidik said through an interpreter. from Friday to Monday, and are expected to “They enjoyed watching them being humil- draw dozens of witnesses. A second session iated and their suffering was for them their is expected in September. joy.” The nine -based jurors of the Female prisoners were allegedly abused tribunal, including lawyers and human rights when they were taken for interrogation. experts, intend to publish a report in Decem- ber on whether China is guilty of genocide. “They were not only tortured but also raped, sometimes gang-raped,” Sidik said. “The The first witness to testify on Friday, Qelbin- things that have witnessed and experienced, ur Sidik – an ethnic Uzbek teacher from Xin- I can’t forget.”

[ 6 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

Sidik said she was also subjected to forced cases brought before the International Crim- sterilisation. inal Court (ICC). Organisers hope the process of publicly lay- It was set up at the request of the World Uy- ing out the evidence of alleged state-orches- ghur Congress, an international organisation trated repression against the Uyghurs will of exiled Uyghurs. compel international action against the coun- try’s authorities. The tribunal’s organisers said Chinese au- thorities had ignored requests to participate According to the United Na- in the hearings. tions, at least one million Uy- But counsel for the tribunal said the United ghurs, a largely Muslim ethnic States and Australia had offered to provide group, have been detained in relevant material, to add to thousands of pag- the internment camps in Chi- es of documentary evidence already com- na’s northwest Xinjiang prov- piled. ince, which borders eight coun- tries including Afghanistan, Critics, including the UK and the US, say Pakistan and India. Uyghurs have been subjected to human rights violations, including arbitrary deten- ‘I want my son to be freed’ tion, forced labour, torture, forced sterilisa- tion and family separation. The tribunal is chaired by prominent human rights lawyer , who led the Before giving testimony to the tribunal via prosecution of ex-Serbian President Slo- video link, three Uyghurs who fled from Chi- bodan Milosevic and has worked on several na to Turkey described their experiences.

[ 7 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021

One, named Rozi, said she was forced into what they call the “three evil forces of ex- an abortion when six and a half months preg- tremism, separatism and terrorism”, and nant. Her youngest son was detained in 2015, boost economic development there. when he was just 13, and she hopes the tribu- nal’s work will help lead to his freedom. In March, the tribunal was among four UK entities and nine individuals sanctioned by “I want my son to be freed as soon as possi- Beijing for raising concerns about the treat- ble,” she said. “I want to see him be set free.” ment of the Uyghurs. Another, a former doctor, spoke of draconian China has also publicly condemned the tri- policies. bunal. And a third, a former detainee, alleged he “It is not even a real tribunal or was “tortured day and night” by Chinese sol- special court, but only a special diers while imprisoned in the remote border machine producing lies,” for- region. eign ministry spokesman Zhao Beijing denounces hearings Lijian said last week. “It was founded by people with ulterior China denies the allegations of abuse and motives and carries no weight claims the camps are “re-education” centres. or authority. It is just a clumsy Officials insist that mass “education and public opinion show under the training” is necessary in Xinjiang to fight guise of law.”

[ 8 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

BELGIAN LAWMAKERS PUT FORWARD RESOLUTION WARNING ‘RISK OF GENOCIDE’ OF CHINA’S UYGHURS Belgian lawmakers on Tuesday put forward a Those behind the text said it would make Bel- resolution warning of a “serious risk of geno- gium’s the sixth democratic parliament after cide” against the Uyghur Muslim minority in Canada, the Netherlands, Britain, Lithuania, China’s Xinjiang region, adding to Western and the Czech Republic to denounce “crimes pressure on Beijing. against humanity” against the Uyghurs. Samuel Cogolati, the MP who authored the Earlier, G7 leaders on Sunday called on Chi- resolution, said the motion was approved by na in a joint statement after their meeting “to the parliament’s foreign relations committee respect human rights and fundamental free- and will be confirmed by a plenary session doms, especially in relation to Xinjiang”. on July 1. A report from rights group Amnesty Inter- Cogolati, who has himself al- national last week accused Beijing of “sys- ready been hit by sanctions tematic state-organised mass imprisonment, from Beijing, initially pushed for torture and persecution amounting to crimes a tougher statement blaming against humanity” in the northwestern re- China for committing the “crime gion. of genocide”. China denies allegations that it is committing crimes on a vast scale by forcing up to one But the resolution was toned down last week million Uyghurs and people from other eth- after a debate inside Belgium’s majority coa- nic-Turkic minorities into internment camps lition of liberals, socialists and greens. in the region of Xinjiang. Cogolati still welcomed Tuesday’s approval By WION Web Team as “a historic vote, that was unimaginable a month ago”. [ 9 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021

UN RIGHTS BOSS SIGNALS SHE MAY MOVE ON XINJIANG WITHOUT CHINA NOD . Bachelet has sought access to Xinjiang for nearly 3 years . Says her office is assessing alleged abuses while negotiating . Has previously initiated probes without a country’s invitation . “It is time for her to act,” says Ken Roth,

GENEVA, June 25 (Reuters) - The United Michelle Bachelet, U.N. High Commissioner Nations human rights chief should document for Human Rights, said on Monday that she her own findings on the plight of Uyghurs in hoped to agree on terms for a long-sought Xinjiang even without China’s blessing for visit to China this year to look into allega- a visit, activists and Western diplomats say, tions of mass detention, torture and forced amid signs that her patience may be running labour. out. Beijing denies all allegations of abuse of Uy- ghurs and other Turkic Muslims, describing camps in its far west as vocational training facilities to combat religious extremism. Canada led a record 45 countries, including the , in urging China on Tues- day to allow Bachelet immediate access to Xinjiang for a first-hand assessment.

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China rejected the statement as interference Beijing’s denial,” Kenneth Roth, driven by “political motives”. It said it wel- head of Human Rights Watch, comed a visit by Bachelet, but that it should told reporters last week. be focused on “promoting exchanges and co- operation rather than an investigation based Human Rights Watch and Am- on so-called presumption of guilt”. nesty International this year documented what they said Bachelet later dropped a hint to the Human Rights Council that she has other options, could constitute crimes against while still pursuing negotiations with China humanity being committed in on a visit that have dragged on since Septem- Xinjiang. ber 2018. Sarah Brooks, China expert at the Inter- “In the meantime, the office continues to national Service for Human Rights, said: deepen its analysis and assessment of the al- “All that remains is for High Commission- leged patterns of human rights violations in er Bachelet to step up - China’s cooperation Xinjiang,” she said on Tuesday. must not be misinterpreted as a precondition to doing her job.” Bachelet has the authority to collect testimo- nies of abuses remotely, without a mandate By Stephanie Nebehay from the council or invitation from the coun- try concerned. She and a predecessor initiat- ed such probes on killings by security forces in Venezuela, the disputed Kashmir territory and southeastern Turkey. “There is no formal U.N. assess- ment of what is happening in Xinjiang and we need that given

[ 11 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021

BEIJING 2022 OLYMPICS: ‘IF GENOCIDE ISN’T OUR RED LINE FOR A FULL BOYCOTT, THEN I REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT IS’ Allegations of human rights Earlier this month, Amnesty International abuses by China against the described the Xinjiang region of China as a Uyghur Muslim minority have “dystopian hellscape” for hundreds of thou- galvanized a global movement, sands of Muslims — predominantly Muslim which is now pushing for a full ethnic minorities — some of whom are sub- boycott of the 2022 Beijing Win- jected to mass imprisonment, torture, sur- ter Olympics. veillance and exploitation. “The Chinese authorities have created a dys- From Lausanne to London, Brisbane to Bue- topian hellscape on a staggering scale in the nos Aires, this week saw a day of protests Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” said against Beijing’s hosting of the 2022 Winter Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Am- Olympics, in what was called a Global Day of nesty International. Action, using the hashtag #NoBeijing2022. “It should shock the conscience of humanity The protests popped up in more than 50 cit- that massive numbers of people have been ies around the world. Representatives from subjected to brainwashing, torture and oth- Tibet, the Uyghur minority, Hong Kong, er degrading treatment in internment camps, China, Taiwan and Southern Mongolia and while millions more live in fear amid a vast allies sought to apply pressure on the Inter- surveillance apparatus.” national Olympic Committee (IOC) at a time when momentum is growing for a full boy- The message of the Global Day of Action — cott the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, due to held on June 23 to coincide with Internation- start in February. al Olympic Day — was clear: China must [ 12 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press mitment in writing that Beijing was keeping its word on the promises it had made to the IOC about human rights, and that the IOC would ensure the safety of athletes and the media during the Games. “I asked the IOC how they are planning to conduct due diligence during the Olympics about human rights. What is the strategy? Do not be allowed to sports wash the “genocide” you have one? If so, can you share it with us of the Uyghur people and the escalating re- so that there’s transparency and we can mon- pression of others. itor what you’re doing commercially,” said Arkin. “Sports washing” refers to the widely held view that some regimes seek to use the host- “We went into the meeting very optimistic, ing of major international sporting events to but left very defeated. The IOC’s answers improve their reputations. were vague and broad and didn’t answer the questions. They agreed to share the as- Is IOC monitoring human rights? surances with us in writing, but after many “If genocide isn’t our red line for a full boy- follow-ups, they never did.” cott, then I really don’t know what is,” Zum- Escalation to a full boycott retay Arkin told DW as she prepared to coor- dinate the Global Day of Action. It was after this first meeting that the idea of a Beijing 2022 boycott gathered momentum. Arkin is a human rights ad- The WUC had moved from a position of di- vocate at the Munich-based plomacy to a full strike, as have other cam- (WUC). paign groups. It was a decision that wasn’t A Uyghur herself, Arkin has co- taken lightly, with campaigners aware that led the campaign to boycott boycotts aren’t easy to pull off, are deeply the Games and has met with unpopular with athletes, and in the case of the IOC twice to gain assuranc- China, have the potential for serious political es that they are keeping Chi- ramifications. na to its word about upholding “We started with a diplomatic boycott be- human rights — but the plan cause we were aware of the sensitivities wasn’t always to boycott. around boycotts and the fact that they penal- “When we first met in October last year, we ize the athletes,” said Arkin. “That was be- wanted some concrete assurances that Chi- fore our second meeting with the IOC.” na would uphold basic standards on human rights, including the use of forced labor to manufacture merchandise for the Olympics,” she said. “We wanted to test them on how seriously they were taking human rights is- sues.” Arkin and her team wanted a concrete com- [ 13 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021 the US Senate passed a bipartisan bill aimed at tackling Chinese foreign policy and eco- nomic influence. However, Arkin and her colleagues are an- gling towards something bigger. She believes that the only way to hold Beijing responsible is by isolating China from the international community — and that includes not sending athletes to Beijing. “I think we have a good chance of achieving a diplomatic boycott,” she said. “The severi- ty of the abuses happening across China have been widely reported but we still would like to see a full boycott. It’s a popular idea.”

The IOC continued to ignore the request for IOC takes responsibility ‘very seriously’ written assurances but did invite them for a In a statement to DW, the IOC defended its second meeting in March. This meeting — position claiming that it takes its responsibil- attended by Arkin and two other colleagues ities seriously but is unable to affect the laws — opened with the question: “Are you going of individual countries. to report this to the media again?” It was a question that surprised Arkin. “At all times, the IOC recognises and up- holds human rights enshrined in both the “Right off the bat they tried to give us a les- Fundamental Principles of the Olympic son in Olympic boycotts and the history of Charter and in its Code of Ethics,” the state- how they’ve failed. It was very condescend- ment read. “We are responsible for ensuring ing. If we call for a boycott, that’s our prob- the respect of the Olympic Charter with re- lem,” she said. gard to the Olympic Games and take this re- A political balancing act sponsibility very seriously. Arkin and her team have found support for “At the same time, the IOC has neither the a diplomatic boycott — whereby heads of mandate nor the capability to change the states do not attend the Games — in the laws or the political system of a sovereign shape of US Senator Mitt Romney and Nan- country. This must rightfully remain the le- cy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of gitimate role of governments and respective Representatives. inter-governmental organisations.” “We cannot proceed as if nothing is wrong But as the IOC continues to be judged on its about the Olympics going to China,” Pelosi actions rather than its words, the momentum told Congress’ Human Rights Commission behind a full boycott of Beijing 2022 could last month, even if the US has stopped short be at a tipping point. of backing a full boycott. There was a further boost to the chances of a diplomatic boycott earlier this month when [ 14 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

CHINESE BIRTH-CONTROL POLICY COULD CUT MILLIONS OF UYGHUR BIRTHS, REPORT FINDS

Chinese birth-control policies could reduce the ethnic minority population in southern Xinjiang by up to a third over the next 20 years, according to new analysis by a German researcher.

The analysis concluded that regional policies icies in the region, the population of ethnic could cut between 2.6 and 4.5 million mi- minorities in southern Xinjiang would reach nority births in that time. somewhere between 8.6 and 10.5 million by 2040, compared to 13.1 million projected by China has been accused by some Western na- Chinese researchers before Beijing’s crack- tions of genocide in Xinjiang, partly through down. forced birth-control measures. “This [research and analysis] really shows China denies the allegations, saying birth- the intent behind the Chinese government’s rate declines have other causes. long-term plan for the Uyghur population,” The new study, by researcher , is Mr Zenz told the Reuters news agency, which the first such peer-reviewed academic paper first reported the study. on the long-term population impact of Chi- In his report, Mr Zenz writes that by 2019 na’s crackdown on the Uyghurs and other Xinjiang authorities “planned to subject at minority groups in Xinjiang. least 80% of women of childbearing age in It found that under China’s birth-control pol- the rural southern four minority prefectures [ 15 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021 to intrusive birth prevention surgeries, refer- policy is being pursued there, with women ring to IUDs or sterilisations”. detained or otherwise punished for exceed- ing birth-control quotas. Sharp decline A previous report by Mr Zenz based on re- Experts believe that China has detained at gional data, policy documents and testimony least a million Uyghurs and other Muslims in alleged that pregnant Uyghur women in Xin- Xinjiang, and the government faces accusa- jiang were being threatened with internment tions of attempting to reduce and assimilate for refusing to abort pregnancies, while oth- the minority Muslim population there. ers were involuntarily fitted with intra-uter- Reports also say authorities have intention- ine devices or coerced into sterilisation sur- ally moved people from the mainstream Han gery. Chinese population into parts of Xinjiang China denies making any attempt to reduce previously dominated by ethnic minorities, the Uyghur population specifically, arguing and forcibly transferred Uyghurs out. that the decline in minority birth rates in Xin- According to Mr Zenz’s research, jiang is due to the implementation of general China’s birth-control policies birth quotas in the region as well as increases could increase the Han popula- in income and better access to family plan- tion in southern Xinjiang - where ning. the Uyghur population is concen- “The so-called ‘genocide’ in Xinjiang is pure trated - from its current level of nonsense,” China’s Foreign Ministry told 8.4% to about 25% by 2040. Reuters in a statement. According to official Chinese sta- “It is a manifestation of the ulterior motives tistics, there was a 48.7% decline of anti-China forces in the United States and in birth rates in ethnic minority ar- the West and the manifestation of those who eas of Xinjiang between 2017 and suffer from Sinophobia.” 2 01 9. Mr Zenz is a researcher at the Victims of China announced last week that it would al- Communism Memorial Foundation, a Wash- low couples to have up to three children, af- ington DC-based “anti-​communist” organi- ter census data showed a steep decline in na- sation which describes itself as dedicated to tional birth rates. But leaked documents and “pursuing the freedom of those still living testimony from Xinjiang suggest an opposite under totalitarian regimes”. Reuters said it had shared his new research and methodology with more than a dozen ex- perts in population analysis, birth prevention policies and international human rights law, who told the news agency the analysis and conclusions were sound. Some of the experts cautioned that demo- graphic projections over a period of decades can be affected by unforeseen factors.

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CAIR CALLS ON HILTON HOTELS TO DROP XINJIANG PROJECT The Council on American-Islamic Relations A recent Amnesty International report called is urging Hilton hotels to drop plans to build the situation on the ground in Xinjiang a a hotel on a site where a mosque once stood. “dystopian hellscape”, detailing how minori- ty groups have been forced to abandon their The Council on American-Islamic Relations religious traditions, language and culture. (CAIR) is urging Hilton Worldwide Hold- ings to drop plans to build a hotel in China’s “We say ‘never again’ but we never actually Xinjiang region on the site where Chinese mean it. Hilton can either build a hotel and officials bulldozed and desecrated a mosque. be complicit in genocide, or it can cancel the hotel and help stop a genocide,” Mitchell “The notion that a corporation would do said. business in the same location of an ongoing genocide is unbelievable,” CAIR’s National China is planning to build a new commercial Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell centre that includes a Hilton hotel on a plot told . of land where a mosque once stood, British newspaper The Telegraph reported on Sun- The United Nations and the administration of day. United States President Joe Biden have ac- cused China of committing genocide against The Virginia-based Hilton Worldwide Hold- Muslim Uyghurs. ings did not immediately respond to Al Ja- zeera’s request for comment. In its report entitled “‘Like We Were Enemies in a War’: China’s Mass Internment, Torture, and Persecution of Muslims in Xin- jiang”, Amnesty Internation- al detailed the human rights abuses committed against Uy- ghurs. [ 17 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021 Amnesty found that hundreds of thousands of Muslim men and women have been sent to prisons or internment camps where they have been subjected to “physical and psychological torture” and that China has sub- jected Muslims to systemised mass surveillance to make them perhaps “the most closely sur- veilled population in the world”. Muslim ethnic groups are forced to abandon their religious tra- ditions, cultural practices and local languages, according to Amnesty International, which also shared the testimony of 50 former camp detainees. seems to be ignoring the US government’s “The Chinese authorities have formal recognition of China committing created a dystopian hellscape genocide against Uyghur Muslims and oth- on a staggering scale in Xinji- er Turkic minorities,” Robert S McCaw, ang. Uyghurs, Kazakhs and oth- CAIR’s director of government affairs, told er Muslim minorities face crimes Al Jazeera. against humanity and other se- rious human rights violations,” The Biden administration also raised the Agnes Callamard, Amnesty In- issue of human rights in China during last ternational’s secretary general, week’s Group of Seven (G7) talks with other world leaders. Mitchell said that businesses said in a statement. also have an important role to play in taking China has denied any a stand. mistreatment of its Muslim “China is such a superpower – and no one minority. is going to go to war over human rights,” Mitchell said. “The only people who can do CAIR, which is the US’s largest Muslim civ- something about this are the United States il rights and advocacy organisation, has also and major corporations. Corporations have a lauded Biden’s tougher stance on human major role to play in stopping this genocide.” rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region. By Radmilla Suleymanova In April, Biden’s secretary of state, Antony Blinken, condemned China for acts of geno- cide against Muslim Uyghurs and its human rights violations. He also urged US corpora- tions to refuse to do business in the region. “Hilton is based in the United States but [ 18 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

CHINA DENOUNCES G7 AFTER STATEMENT ON XINJIANG AND HONG KONG China has accused the G7 of na’s interests,” a spokesman “political manipulation” after it said on Monday. criticised Beijing over a range of issues. The statement by the G7 - the world’s seven largest so-called advanced economies - in- In a joint statement at the end cluded pledges on a number of issues, such of a three-day summit, leaders as ending the coronavirus pandemic and of the G7 countries urged China steps to tackle climate change, as well as ref- to “respect human rights and erences to China. fundamental freedoms”. The group, made up of Canada, France, Ger- Issues highlighted includ- many, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, called on China to respect human rights in Xinji- ed abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority group and the crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists. China’s embassy in the UK ac- cused the G7 of “baseless ac- cusations”. “Stop slandering China, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop harming Chi-

[ 19 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021

ang, a north-western region that is home to US President Joe Biden said he was “satis- the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. fied” with the statement’s language on Chi- na. Experts generally agree that China has de- tained as many as a million Uyghurs and But the Chinese embassy in the UK opposed other Muslims and imprisoned hundreds of the mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and thousands more in its crackdown in Xinjiang, Taiwan, which it said distorted the facts and which began in 2017. There have been wide- exposed the “sinister intentions of a few spread reports of physical and psychological countries such as the United States”. torture inside prisons and detention camps in the region. China denies the allegations. A stronger message on China is expected to be issued by leaders of the Nato military alli- The G7 statement also called for rights and ance at a meeting on Monday. freedoms to be respected in Hong Kong, where a new security law passed by China “We know that China does not last year has made it easier to punish pro- share our values... we need to testers. The leaders said Hong Kong should respond together as an alli- retain a “high degree of autonomy”, as estab- ance,” Nato Secretary-General lished under agreements when it was handed Jens Stoltenberg said as he ar- back to China in 1997. rived at the one-day summit in Brussels. The statement underscored the “importance of peace and stability” across the Taiwan White House national security Strait - a heavily-policed waterway that sep- adviser Jake Sullivan said the arates China and Taiwan. China sees demo- country would feature in Nato’s cratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, but communique “in a more robust Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state. way than we’ve ever seen be- It also demanded a new investigation in Chi- fore”. na into the origins of Covid-19. [ 20 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

‘WE ARE VERY FREE’: HOW CHINA SPREADS ITS PROPAGANDA VERSION OF LIFE FOR UYGHURS

A months-long analysis of more than 3,000 of the videos by ProPublica and The New York Times found evidence of an influence campaign orchestrated by the Chinese government.

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning inves- “There’s nothing like that at all in tigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Sto- our Xinjiang,” said the taxi driver. ry newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. “We are very free,” the retiree said. Recently, the owner of a small store in west- ern China came across some remarks by “We are very free now,” the store Mike Pompeo, the former U.S. secretary of owner said. state. What he heard made him angry. “We are very, very free here,” the A worker in a textile company had the same taxi driver said. reaction. So did a retiree in her 80s. And a taxi driver. “Our lives are very happy and very free now,” the textile compa- Pompeo had routinely accused China of com- ny worker said. mitting human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, and these four people made videos to These and thousands of other videos are express their outrage. They did so in oddly meant to look like unfiltered glimpses of similar ways. life in Xinjiang, the western Chinese region where the Communist Party has carried out “Pompeo said that we Uyghurs are repressive policies against Uyghurs and oth- locked up and have no freedom,” er predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities. the store owner said. [ 21 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021

Most of the clips carry no logos or other first appeared on a regional Communist Party signs that they are official propaganda. news app. Then they showed up on YouTube and other global sites, with English subtitles But taken together, the videos begin to reveal added. (The excerpts of dialogue in this ar- clues of broader coordination — such as the ticle are translated from the original spoken English subtitles in clips posted to YouTube Chinese or Uyghur by ProPublica and The and other Western platforms. Times. They are not taken from the English A monthslong analysis of more than 3,000 subtitles in the original videos.) of the videos by ProPublica and The New On Twitter, a network of connected accounts York Times found evidence of an influence shared the videos in ways that seemed de- campaign orchestrated by the Chinese gov- signed to avoid the platform’s systems for ernment. detecting influence campaigns. The operation has produced and spread thou- China’s increasingly social-media-fluent sands of videos in which Chinese citizens diplomats and state-run news outlets have deny abuses against their own communities since spread the testimonials to audiences of and scold foreign officials and multinational millions worldwide. corporations who dare question the Chinese government’s human rights record in Xinji- Western platforms like Twitter and YouTube ang. are banned in China out of fear they might be used to spread political messaging — which It all amounts to one of China’s most elabo- is exactly how Chinese officials are using rate efforts to shape global opinion. these platforms in the rest of the world. Beijing is trying to use savvier and more They are, in essence, high-speed propagan- forceful methods to broadcast its political da pipelines for Beijing. In just a few days, messages to a worldwide audience. And videos establishing the Communist Party’s Western internet platforms like Twitter and version of reality can be shot, edited and am- YouTube are playing a key part. plified across the global internet. Many of these videos of people in Xinjiang [ 22 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press In one clip, the owner of a used car dealer- ship in Xinjiang says: “Pompeo, shut your mouth.” When reached by phone, the man said local propaganda authorities had produced the clip. When asked for details, he gave the number of an official he called Mr. He, saying, “Why don’t you ask the head of the propaganda de- How the Videos Work partment?” The dialogue in hundreds of the Xinjiang Multiple calls to Mr. He’s number were not videos contains strikingly similar, and often answered. Seven other people in the videos identical, phrases and structures. whose contact information could be found either declined to be interviewed or couldn’t Most videos are in Chinese or Uyghur and be reached. (The name of the car dealership’s follow the same basic script. The subject owner is being withheld to protect him from introduces themselves, then explains how retribution by Chinese officials.) their own happy, prosperous life means there couldn’t possibly be repressive policies in In another sign of government coordination, Xinjiang. language in the videos echoes written denun- ciations of Pompeo that Chinese state agen- Here’s a typical clip, shot as a selfie. cies issued around the same time. A four-character Chinese Beginning in late January, government work- phrase meaning “born and ers across Xinjiang held meetings to “speak raised” appears in more than out and show the sword” against “Pompeo’s 280 of the more than 2,000 anti-China lies,” according to statements on videos attacking Pompeo that official websites. ProPublica and found The clips’ effectiveness as propaganda on YouTube and Twitter. comes in part because they will probably be The people in more than 1,000 most people’s only glimpse into Xinjiang, a of the videos say they have re- remote desert region closer to Kabul than to cently come across Pompeo’s Beijing. remarks, most of them “on the The Chinese authorities have thwarted ef- internet” or on specific plat- forts by journalists and others to gain un- forms such as Douyin, the Chi- fettered access to the indoctrination camps nese version of TikTok. where hundreds of thousands of Muslims have been sent for reeducation. An expression meaning “complete nonsense” and close variations of it appear in more than On government-led tours of the region, for- 600 of the videos. eign diplomats and reporters have been al- lowed to speak with locals only under Chi- Establishing that government officials had a nese officials’ watchful eyes, often in settings hand in making these testimonials is some- that seem staged and scripted. times just a matter of asking. [ 23 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021 On Twitter, ProPublica and The Times found, the clips were shared by more than 300 ac- counts whose posts strongly suggested they were no ordinary users. The accounts often posted messages that were identical but for a random string of characters at the end with no obvious meaning, either four Roman let- ters, five Chinese characters or three sym- bols such as percentage signs or parentheses. For Western platforms hosting the Xinjiang testimonials, the fact that they are not imme- Such strings were found in about three-quar- diately obvious as state propaganda poses a ters of the accounts’ tweets. They caused the challenge. text of the posts to vary slightly, in an ap- parent attempt to bypass Twitter’s automated To promote transparency, sites like YouTube anti-spam filters. and Twitter label accounts and posts that are associated with governments. The Xinjiang There were other signs that the Twitter ac- videos, however, carry no such tags. counts were part of a coordinated operation. YouTube said the clips did not violate its All of the accounts had been community guidelines. Twitter declined to registered only in recent comment on the videos, adding that it rou- months. Many of them followed tinely releases data on campaigns that it can zero other users. Nearly all “reliably attribute to state-linked activity.” had fewer than five followers. How the Videos Spread The bulk of their tweeting took place between 10 a.m. and 8 The video campaign started this year after p.m. Beijing time. the State Department declared on Jan. 19, the final full day of the Trump presidency, that The text of several of the accounts’ tweets China was committing genocide in Xinjiang. contained traces of computer code, indicat- ing that they had been posted, sloppily, by “I’ve referred to this over time as the stain of software. the century — it is truly that,” Pompeo said. Twitter suspended many of these accounts Within days, videos criticising Pompeo be- in March and April, before ProPublica and gan appearing on an app called Pomegranate The Times inquired about them. Twitter said Cloud, which is owned by the regional arm the accounts had violated its policies against of the official Communist Party newspaper, platform manipulation and spam. People’s Daily. The name of the app is a ref- erence to a propaganda slogan that calls on The accounts did not upload Xinjiang clips people of all ethnic groups in China to be as directly to Twitter. Rather, they tweeted links closely united as pomegranate seeds. to videos on YouTube or retweeted videos that had been originally posted by other From there, the videos often jumped onto Twitter accounts. other Chinese platforms before making their way onto global social media sites like Twit- Those YouTube and Twitter accounts often ter and YouTube. posted copies of the same Xinjiang videos [ 24 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press Tube by the warehouse accounts within 30 minutes of one another. Just over a week lat- er, two representatives for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted the clip on Twitter as well. The ministry did not respond to a faxed re- quest for comment, nor did the Xinjiang of- fices of the Communist Party propaganda department. at roughly the same time, according to anal- ysis by ProPublica and The Times. Nearly Two months later, another wave of videos, three-quarters of the copied clips were post- shot in the same style and distributed in a ed by different accounts within 30 minutes similar way, raged against H&M and other of one another. This suggests the posts were international clothing brands that have ex- coordinated, even though the accounts had pressed concern about possible labor abuses no obvious connection. in Xinjiang’s cotton and textile industries. Most of these accounts — seven on Twitter In one video, a Uyghurs woman and nearly two dozen on YouTube — posted sits on a couch with her hus- dozens of videos that originally appeared on band and young son. Pomegranate Cloud. The accounts seem to “Mom, what’s H&M?” the boy have served solely as warehouses to store the clips, making it easier for other accounts in asks. the network to share them. “H&M is a foreign company that How the Campaign Is Evolving uses our Xinjiang cotton and speaks ill of our Xinjiang,” she The effort continues to evolve. In some cas- says. “Tell me, is H&M bad or es, state media and government officials what?” have begun to openly spread the clips attack- ing Pompeo. Other videos have found new “Very bad,” the boy says stiffly. issues and people to target. The clip was posted on Pomegranate Cloud In one clip, a woman denies accusations of on March 29. Six days later, it was posted on forced labor. “I have five greenhouses, and Twitter and YouTube, 20 minutes apart, by no one forces me to work,” she says. two warehouse accounts. As with all of the other clips that appeared on those platforms, She turns the camera toward several other English subtitles were added somewhere women behind her. along the way, seemingly for the benefit of “Friends, is anyone forcing you to work?” international audiences. she asks. “No!” they cry in unison. The anti-H&M campaign continues. By June The clip was posted by Global Times, a 21, more than 800 cotton-related videos had state-controlled newspaper, on the Chinese been posted to Pomegranate Cloud, a large platform Kuaishou on Jan. 25. Two days lat- share of which were later reposted on You- er, the video was posted on Twitter and You- Tube or Twitter.

[ 25 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021 New videos are being uploaded to Pome- granate Cloud nearly every day. That means the campaign, which has already enlisted thousands of people in Xinjiang — teach- ers, shopkeepers, farmhands — could keep growing. The audience outside China for the videos could also keep expanding.

The warehouse accounts on YouTube have talking nonsense about our Xinjiang,” one attracted more than 480,000 views in total. granddaughter says. “I hope you won’t be People on YouTube, TikTok and other plat- fooled again by those bad foreigners.” forms have cited the testimonials to argue that all is well in Xinjiang — and received Kadeer said the videos were the first time she hundreds of thousands of additional views. had heard her relatives’ voices in years. In a phone interview, Pompeo said friends, “I have been crying in my heart about my and occasionally his son, had come across children,” she said in a phone interview. the Xinjiang testimonials online and sent them to him. Kadeer said the videos had given her a chance to see what had become of her grand- As clumsy as the videos seem, he said, their daughters. The last time she saw them, they influence should not be dismissed: “In places were infants. that don’t have access to a great deal of me- dia, that repetition, those storylines have an “Some people will believe these ability to take hold.” videos and believe Uyghurs are living a happy life,” she said. China’s propaganda efforts will keep getting “We can’t say they have locked better, Pompeo added. “They’ll continue to up everyone. But what they’re revise and become quicker, more authentic saying in these videos — it’s in their capacity to deliver this message,” he not true. They know they’re not said. speaking the truth. But they How the Videos Divided a Family have to say what the Chinese government wants them to For one Uyghur activist living in exile in the United States since 2005, the videos have say.” had a more personal impact. By Jeff Kao, ProPublica, and Raymond Zhong, Paul Mozur and Aaron Krolik, The Several of the Xinjiang videos feature fam- New York Times ily members of Rebiya Kadeer, 74, whom the Chinese government has accused of abet- ting terrorism. In one clip, two of Kadeer’s granddaughters lash out at Pompeo while out shopping for a wedding. “Grandma, I recently saw online that Pompeo’s making reckless claims and [ 26 ] June 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

Twelve years ago, more than 50 Uyghur youth (including women) were brutally killed by racist Han Chinese at the Xuri toy factory in Shaoguan city.

[ 27 ] Monthly Journal of Press June 2021

References https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/chinas-transnational-repression-leaves-uyghurs-no-space-to-run/ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-23/china-uyghurs-xinjiang-un-40-countries/100236352 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/4/uighur-tribunal-hears-evidence-of-alleged-china-abuses https://www.wionews.com/world/belgian-lawmakers-put-forward-resolution-warning-risk-of-genocide-of-chinas-uyghurs-391671 https://www.reuters.com/world/china/un-rights-boss-signals-she-may-move-xinjiang-without-china-nod-2021-06-25/ https://www.dw.com/en/beijing-2022-olympics-if-genocide-isnt-our-red-line-for-a-full-boycott-then-i-really-dont-know-what-is/a-58038617 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57383548 https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/6/15/cair-calls-on-hilton-hotels-to-drop-xinjiang-project https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57466576 https://thewire.in/communalism/how-china-spreads-its-propaganda-version-of-life-for-ui- ghurs

[ 28 ] What is happening in East Turkistan? What is true and what is false? The “ISTIQLAL” journal uses reliable sources, evidence and witnesses to reveal China’s crimes against humanity and shine a light on the oppression in East Turkistan as well as exposing China’s fake news propaganda.

Editor in Chief Abdulvaris Abdulhalik Graphic Design Orkesh Editor Y. Kurum Caricature Radwa Adl

Editorial Board East Turkistan Press And Media Association Publication Type Monthly Journal Address Kartaltepe Mah. Geçit Sok. No: 6 Dükkan 2 Sefaköy K.çekmece İSTANBUL [email protected] www. turkistantimes.com/en www.istiqlalhaber.com www. istiqlalmedia.com +90 212 540 31 15 +90 553 895 19 33 +90 541 797 77 00