RESEARCH REPORT HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)

DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS TO ERADICATE THE MALTREATMENT OF UYGHUR TURKS IN

MELİKE KOCA

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development – Research Report Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair

Basic Overview of the Issue

The maltreatment of Uyghur Turks is an abuse of and effectuated by the Chinese government in and around the Uyghur Autonomous Region. There are more than 11 million Uyghur Turks in Xinjiang where unlawful acts are perpetrated by the Chinese government. These acts are labeled as ‘’’’ by many human rights experts, non- governmental organizations (NGOs), government officials, and also the U.S. government. More than one million , with the majority of Uygur Turks, have been held in detention camps without any legal base by the Chinese government since 2017. The aforementioned unlawful policy has been pursued under the administration of the (CCP). According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, suppressing religious practices, severe ill-treatment, and political indoctrination are considered to be human rights abuses. There are more than 85 identified camps, where at least one million Uighurs are forced to be interned. Even though the Chinese government has abnegated the existence of camps, they have acknowledged these camps as ‘’re-education centers’’ for Uighurs after the images of camp constructions Figure 1 - Locations of "re-education camps" for Uighurs in Xinjiang, western China, also known as . were released.

Explanation of Important Terms

Ethnocide is the deliberate destruction of an ethnic culture (Merriam-Webster). This term is also related to the term ‘’cultural cleansing’’. Since the term ethnocide could be used in different meanings and contexts, the general approach could be interpreted as inclusion and exclusion in law and policies according to the terms anthropology.

General genocide The term general genocide was first mentioned by the lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1944.

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 1 Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair

General genocide is described as "acts and measures are undertaken to destroy nations' or ethnic groups' culture through spiritual, national, and cultural destruction" by the Museum.

Re-education Centers The re-education camps are officially named ‘’Vocational Education and Training Centers’’ by the Chinese government. These camps were created under CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping’s administration in the Xinjiang area. It was extrapolated that over one and a half million people, including mostly but also and Kyrgyz (mainly Turkic Muslims), are being held in the aforementioned camps.

Detailed Background of the Issue

The Xinjiang Region The Xinjiang region, an autonomous territory in the Northwest of China, has borders to eight different countries, including the Russian Federation, Afghanistan, and India. It is officially known as the “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” and it is home to a number of different ethnic groups - the most prominent one being the Turkic Uyghurs. Although the policy of the Chinese government is to allow ethnic groups to maintain their cultural identities, several ethnic tensions have arisen. One of the main issues in the region is the conflict between the Uyghurs and Han. In 2017, it was reported by the that the Chinese authorities have begun to operate “re-education camps” in the Xinjiang region to indoctrinate the Uyghur Turks. Various governments and human rights experts have accused the of the mistreatment of the Uyghur Turks.

Restrictions Imposed on the Uyghurs (1990-2017) At the beginning of 1996, Chinese authorities in Xinjiang launched the “strike hard” campaign, which included measures targeting cell phones, computers, and religious materials belonging to the Uyghurs. The measures taken were due to the growing tensions between the Uyghurs and the in the Xinjiang region. In addition, long beards were banned, and women were not allowed to wear veils in public places. Since these were

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 2 Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair direct human rights violations, the Uyghur Turks began to protest, which resulted in arrests and executions. The campaign was relaunched in 2014 with more repressive measures. The DNA samples, iris scans, and voice samples of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region were collected. Also, people were tracked through CCTV footage and ID cards. Even though this, again, is a direct violation of human rights, and the Chinese government has received criticism and condemnation from the international community, the government has continued with its repressive measures. Other restrictions include Uyghurs not being able to build their own mosques, fast during , and name their children with common Muslim names. In addition, Uyghurs are not allowed to have their children attend an Islamic private school or mosques.

Accusations Against the Chinese Government There are numerous specific accusations towards the government of China on the issue of Uyghur Turks. Human rights experts have demanded the International Criminal Court and United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate the internment camps in the Xinjiang region. In terms of maltreatment such as , forced sterilization, and forced labor, some governments and human rights experts have alleged that China is committing an “Uyghur genocide.”

Torture and Mistreatment A remarkable number of human rights experts consider the Chinese re-education camps as cruel mistreatment towards the Uyghur refugee group in China. According to a report published by Human Rights Watch, the Chinese government conducted “mass arbitrary detention, torture and mistreatment” of Uighur Turks in the region. As a first-hand source, an Uyghur Turk living in China has stated in an interview that the Chinese government torture Uyghurs by hanging them from their arms for hours and resorting to violence cruelly.

Forced Sterilization The state is already struggling with widespread criticism for keeping mostly Muslim Uyghurs in detention camps. The Chinese government has demanded the existence of the detention camps before defending them as a necessary precaution against terrorism in terms of citizens' security due to separatist violence in the Xinjiang region. Unfortunately, the practice of forced

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 3 Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair sterilization is a cruel action that still takes place in the 21st century; it overwhelmingly targets minorities. A Chinese-published “Analysis Report on Population Change in Xinjiang" refutes these statements, attributing the decline of the Uighur Muslim population to the

“eradication of religious extremism. An Figure 2 - Birth rates in Uyghur areas between 2010-2017 AP investigation in 2020 proves the Uighur women are forced to have regular pregnancy checks, IUDs, sterilizations, and also abortion.

Forced Labor Many UN members have accused China of the fact that the Uighur Turks are forced laborers, and their recruitment in firms is completely against the law and human rights. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s report, over 80,000 million Uyghur Turks were sent to factories directly from detention camps between 2017 to 2019. According to a report by Citizen Power Initiatives for China (CPIC), Xinjiang is home to 84% of the country's and exports material to many of China's clothing manufacturers. Lately, a non-profit organization from Washington DC’s report stated that China has been using forced labor camps and prison labor to profit off of the cotton industry in its Xinjiang region.

Turkish-Chinese Relations In recent years, due to the separatist movements in the Xinjiang region, Chinese and Turkish governments have started to strengthen their relations and cooperation. has also increased deportations of Uyghurs to China. After the release of an insight view of the detention camps, Turkey has specifically stated its concerns and condemnation. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has stated that Uighur Turks are facing torture in concentration camps, “The reintroduction of detention camps in the 21st century and the systematic assimilation policy of Chinese authorities against the Uighur Turks is a great embarrassment for humanity.’’ In short, the Turkish government has called upon every member state of the UN to collaborate on the issue of maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China to conclude the violation of human rights.

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 4 Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair

Uyghur Children in Xinjiang Thousands of Uighur children are struggling and are left without parents. According to evidence from government documents in Xinjiang, their mothers and fathers are held in Chinese internment camps by force. An anthropologist, , indicates that approximately 9,500 mostly Uighur children were either facing ‘’single hardship’’ if one of their parents was detained in these camps or ‘’double hardship’’ if both of them were in 2018. Many of the children are replaced in state or boarding schools where almost all classes are in Mandarin. Children are struggling since they are not able to use their native .

Major Parties Involved

People’s Republic of China Uighurs are Turkic Muslim groups who live in the north-western territory of Xinjiang, China. Since 1949 Xinjiang has been under the control of China, and it has a significant role for the Chinese government politically. According to many human rights experts, it is open to interpretation that Figure 3 - Chinese and Xinjian regions border the Chinese authorities consider people in Xinjiang such as Uighurs and other Muslim minorities as potential terrorists and think that they have the right to interfere with their lives. Today, more than 85 identified camps are established by the government of China, where at least one million Uighurs are forced to be interned to control them. In 2020, the International Criminal Court decided to investigate China’s detention camps. After this decision was made, the number of China’s supporters has started to decrease.

United States of America The State Department considers the Chinese government's maltreatment of Uyghur Turks as committing genocide and accuses them of aiming to eradicate the cultural and religious value of Uyghurs. The Department has also declared that the attempt of forced sterilization and the

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 5 Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair existence of internment camps are against The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The determination of flagitiousness is a rare action on the part of the State Department, and the new Biden administration could take action to impose more sanctions against China to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in the Xinjiang region.

Turkey Historically, Turkey has welcomed many Uighur Turks and other minor Turkic Muslims fleeing China. The 50,000 Uighurs are currently in Turkey as refugees. With the ongoing Uighur Turks conflict, Turkey expresses concerns about the human rights violations. At the United Nations General Assembly, Turkey has stated the Figure 4 - Image of an individual wearing a mask that symbolizes the protests discourteousness against the cultural and religious identity of Uighur Turks. The Uighur Turks population currently living in , Turkey, stage protests outside the Chinese claim to be informed about the condition of their family members; however, Chinese consulate staff has not responded to the protestors yet.

United Kingdom Recently, the government has stated that there is enough evidence that proves China’s actions towards Uighur Turks in re-education camps are of human rights violations. The UK has forewarned firms about the fact that the Uighur Turks are forced laborers, and their recruitment is completely unlawful. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has stated ‘’China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims “has all the hallmarks of a genocidal atrocity, The UK Government must act now”’’ and addressed the urgency of the issue.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) UNHCR, also known as the UN Refugee Agency, aims to protect the rights and the well- being of refugees. UNHCR's purpose is to provide every human being the right to seek

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 6 Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair asylum and to voluntarily return to their country. Because the minorities in Xinjiang, including Uighur Turks, cannot stand for their rights to return home and are held in ‘’re-education camps’’ unlawfully, UNHCR must take action regarding the human rights violations.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) A report of Human Rights Watch 2018 focuses on the Chinese government campaign of "arbitrary mass detention, torture, forced political indoctrination, and mass surveillance of Xinjiang's Muslims.” HRW accuses China of tyrannizing 12 million Uyghur Turks.

Chronology of Important Events

Summer, ‘’The incorporation of Xinjiang into the People's Republic of China’’. This 1949 annexation put Xinjiang under the control of China after it was taken over by the Chinese communists.

Spring, 1950 The majority of the Xinjiang region is now in definite control of Chinese communists

2013-2014 The Chinese government regards some Uyghur militants as responsible for the security threatening attacks. These attacks take place from 2013 to 2014, which put Uyghurs in a target position for China

2017 China underlines new restrictions with new laws. The Xinjiang government passes a law that clearly targets Islamic beliefs and forbids men from having long beards and women from wearing veils

2016-2018 One-sixth of 24,400 mosques in Xinjiang are completely razed, which is considered a direct attack on Islamic beliefs

December The International Criminal Court (ICC) declines to take investigative action 2020 against China

October The UN Member States supporting China’s actions towards Uyghur Turks 2020 decreases from 54 to 45

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 7 Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair

July- Human rights experts demand the ICC and UNHRC to start investigating the August, Chinese government's attitude towards Uyghurs in terms of maltreatment 2020

Dec 15, The ICC declines to investigate the Chinese government for their detention 2020 of ethnic and religious minorities

Relevant International Documents

- The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Dec 9, 1948, General Assembly Resolution 260 - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Dec 10, 1948, General Assembly Resolution 217A - Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Dec 10, 1984, entry into force Jun 26, 1987, in accordance with article 27, General Assembly resolution 39/46 - Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, Dec 18, 1992, General Assembly resolution 47/135- - Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Based on Religion or Belief, Nov 25, 1981, General Assembly resolution 36/55 - Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Jul 28, 1951, United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons convened under General Assembly resolution 429 (V)

Past Attempts to Resolve the Issue

Even though there have been some attempts to solve the issue of maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China, there was not an efficient one to resolve this issue definitively. In 2018, the International Criminal Court decided to start an investigation on the aforementioned internment camps to detect any form of violation of human rights. Except for a few reporters and human rights experts, no one has filmed these camps. The organization has announced that the International Criminal Court has declined to investigate the Chinese government for their detention of ethnic and religious minorities. Since the Chinese

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 8 Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair government is not taking any responsibility for the accusations, imposing sanctions on the Chinese government was not possible. Some governments have sent joint letters to China, condemning the situation in the Xinjiang region and how the Uyghur Turks are treated. However, since China does not take responsibility for the issue, there has not been any treaties or agreements to definitively solve the problem.

Solution Alternatives

The United Nations must focus on eradicating the issue of the mistreatment of Uyghur Turks in China. As for the short-term solutions, the humanitarian aspect of the issue must be elaborated since Uyghur Turks need urgent care. For that purpose, creating a specific non- governmental organization with volunteering member states could be an alternative step in resolving the issue. This NGO could collect donations from volunteers in order to provide financial aid to mistreated people. It could also focus on providing enough food sources since many children and women are suffering from hunger. The continuous delivery of relief packages, including such but not limited to food and clothing to the Uyghur Turks, will be a beneficial solution for the short-term. Secondly, the UN should take actions such as encouraging states to focus on investigating the camps for any possible human rights violation. In order to make sure that the Uyghur Turks have good health conditions, creating health centers for refugees in Xinjiang under the control of the UN could be another solution alternative. Creating a medical team including volunteering professionals to be placed in the created several healthcare centers in that area could bring short-term solutions for the refugees’ well-being. On the other hand, the refugee children should be provided with enough quality education. This education system should be divided into age groups in order to be efficient enough moreover regular examinations done by the authorities can create data to make sure that its quality is high and there is not any form of discrimination. Moreover, many children are separated from their parents obtrusively and face living alone. That is why creating a family reunification system with clear data collected from the camps in order to bring them together. The security of this database must be ensured by the assistance of a cybersecurity team appointed based on the recommendations of the cybersecurity organizations of the Member States, such as the National Security Agency (NSA).

MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 9 Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair

Bibliography

• Jardin, Xeni. “China Has 500+ Uighur Camps and Prisons and Is Holding Far More than One Million, Activists Say.” Boing Boing, Nov 18, 2019, https://boingboing.net/2019/11/12/china-has-500-uighur-camps-an.html • “Pressure on Turkey to Protect Uighurs as China Ratifies Extradition Treaty.” , Guardian News and Media, Dec 29, 2020, www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/29/pressure-on-turkey-to-protect-uighurs-as- china-ratifies-extradition-treaty. • Putz, Catherine. “2020 Edition: Which Countries Are For or Against China's Xinjiang Policies?” – The Diplomat, For The Diplomat, Oct 9, 2020, https://thediplomat.com/2020/10/2020-edition-which-countries-are-for-or-against- chinas-xinjiang-policies/ • “UK Muslim Group Urges Gov't to Help Chinese Uighurs.” Anadolu Ajansı, www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-muslim-group-urges-govt-to-help-chinese- uighurs/1917634. • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “Climate Change and Conflict Pursue Displaced Burkinabes.” UNHCR News, www.unhcr.org/. • “International Criminal Court - Latest News.” , www.catholicnewsagency.com/tags/international-criminal-court. • “United Nations Office on and the Responsibility to Protect.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/international- law.shtml. • “Uyghur Genocide.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Jan 25, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_genocide#References • “China Forcing , Sterilization and Abortion on Uighurs to Curb Muslim Population.” Ya Libnan, https://yalibnan.com/2020/06/30/china-forcing-birth-control- sterilization-and-abortion-on-uighurs-to-curb-muslim-population/ • Why Is China Being Accused of Sterilising Uighur Women? www.trtworld.com/magazine/why-is-china-being-accused-of-sterilising-uighur-women- 43078

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• “China–Turkey Relations.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Jan 11, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China–Turkey_relations • “US: China 'Committed Genocide against Uighurs'.” BBC News, BBC, 20 Jan. 2021, www..com/news/world-us-canada-55723522. • “Chinese Detention 'Leaving Thousands of Uighur Children without Parents'.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, Oct 1,6 2020, www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/16/thousands-of-uighur-children-orphaned-by- chinese-detention-papers-show.

Useful Links

- - Forced sterilizations and life in China’s Uyghur Muslim Internment Camps - Pressure on Turkey to protect Uighurs as China ratifies extradition treaty - 2020 Edition: Which countries are for or against China’s Xinjiang policies? - China forcing birth control on Uighurs to suppress population – BBC - US: CHINA 'COMMITTED GENOCIDE AGAINST UIGHURS'

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