April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

[ 1 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

UK LAWMAKERS DECLARE CHINA’S TREATMENT OF UYGHURS IS GENOCIDE

British lawmakers have unanimously declared Chi- na’s ongoing crackdown in Xinjiang a genocide, joining the United States, Canada and the Neth- erlands in condemning Beijing’s actions against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the far- west region in the strongest possible terms.

China has been accused of detaining up to 2 lawmaker Yasmin Qureshi, a member of the million people in a system of camps set up Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China UK, across Xinjiang in recent years, with survi- said. vors alleging widespread abuse, including brainwashing, torture, rape and forced labor. “That this government is pursuing deeper Beijing has denied the worst accusations, de- trade ties with China while these abuses con- fending the system as a vocational training tinue is unthinkable.” and deradicalization program vital to ensur- Introducing the motion Thursday, Conserva- ing the region’s security. tive lawmaker Nusrat Ghani told lawmakers Following a debate on Thursday, the House that “while we must never misuse the term of Commons passed unopposed a non-bind- genocide, we must not fail to use it when it’s ing resolution condemning “mass human warranted.” rights abuses and crimes against humanity in Governments insist that genocide can only Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region.” be determined by competent courts, said “Today’s vote must mark a turning point. Ghani, but “every route to a court is blocked No one can still deny the scale of the abuses by China.” taking place in the Xinjiang region,” Labour [ 1 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

“Our government is handcuffed, paralyzed nation to safeguard its “national sovereignty, by the United Nations. We need to take back security and development interests.” control,” she said. “Our route to tackling genocide cannot be controlled by China.” ‘INTERROGATE THE EVIDENCE’ While the move will likely be seen as hav- Per the United Nations Genocide Convention ing no real impact on UK government pol- -- to which China is a signatory -- genocide is icy, it is sure to damage relations between an attempt to commit acts “with an intent to London and Beijing. Ties are already severe- destroy, in whole or in part, a national, (eth- ly strained by Britain’s decision to impose nic), racial or religious group.” sanctions on Xinjiang, and the resulting tit- There are five ways in which genocide can for-tat Chinese penalties, as well as China’s take place, according to the convention: kill- moves to limit democracy in Hong Kong, a ing members of the group; causing serious former British colony. bodily or mental harm to members of the Beijing has made clear its anger at London group; deliberately inflicting conditions of for introducing a path to citizenship for hold- life calculated to bring about its physical de- ers of British Nationals (Overseas) passports struction in whole or in part; imposing mea- following the imposition of a new national sures intended to prevent births within the security law on Hong Kong, and lawmakers group; or forcibly transferring children of the in the UK have pushed for the British gov- group to another group. ernment to take further action in response to The last time the House of Commons made recent election law changes, including sanc- such a declaration was in 2016, when law- tioning Chinese and Hong Kong officials. makers voted to classify the actions by ISIS In a recent statement, China’s foreign minis- against Yazidis and other minorities in north- try warned the UK “not go further down the ern Syria a genocide. That motion was ap- wrong path” in regard to action over Xinjiang proved unanimously. and Hong Kong, and reiterated its determi- [ 2 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press Ghani -- who has been working to raise concerns over the treatment of Uyghurs in China -- was among a number of British lawmakers sanctioned by China last month for having “maliciously spread lies and disinformation” in relation to Xinjiang’s human rights issues. That move came after the UK, in coordina- tion with the European Union, Canada and the US, announced sanctions over Xinjiang, Speaking during Thursday’s debate, former targeting those responsible for the crack- Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith down there. urged the government to rethink its position on China’s actions in Xinjiang. At the time, UK Foreign Secretary Domi- nic Raab said “it speaks volumes that, while “We will not gain any particu- the UK joins the international community lar friendship by not calling out in sanctioning those responsible for human genocide from the Chinese. It is rights abuses, the Chinese government sanc- simply not a tradeable item,” tions its critics.” he said. “The UK government “If Beijing want to credibly rebut claims of has said endlessly -- and I un- human rights abuses in Xinjiang, it should al- derstand this -- that only a low the UN High Commissioner for Human competent court can declare Rights full access to verify the truth,” he said in a statement. genocide, that is absolutely the original plan. On Wednesday, Raab announced he was slashing aid to China by 95%, to £900,000 “But the problem is that getting to a compe- ($1.25 million), as part of a wider program of tent court is impossible. At the United Na- cuts to the UK foreign aid budget. tions it is impossible to get through to the In- The remaining £900,000 will fund programs ternational Court of Justice, it is impossible on open societies and human rights, the min- to get through to the International Criminal ister said in a statement. Court as China is not a signatory to that and therefore will not obey that.” By Laura Smith-Spark and James Griffiths, CNN SANCTIONED BY CHINA

[ 3 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

NEW REPORT SLAMS CHINA FOR ‘SYSTEMATIC’ OPPRESSION AGAINST UYGHURS Human Rights Watch has urged the United ing out widespread and systematic policies Nations to take necessary steps to address of mass detention, torture, cultural persecu- what it calls China’s crimes against humanity tion and other offenses. targeting Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic minorities in the Xinjiang region. “Chinese authorities have systematically persecuted Turkic Muslims — their lives, A new report released Monday their religion and their culture,” said Sophie by Human Rights Watch (HRW) Richardson, China director at HRW, in the and the Stanford Law School’s report. “Beijing has said it’s providing ‘vo- Human Rights and Conflict cational training’ and ‘deradicalization,’ but Resolution Clinic says the Chi- that rhetoric can’t obscure a grim reality of nese government has commit- crimes against humanity.” ted crimes against humanity According to the report, the Rome Statute against Uyghur Muslims and of the International Criminal Court defines other Turkic minorities in Xinji- crimes against humanity as serious specified ang. offenses that are “knowingly committed” as part of a widespread or systematic attack The report, entitled “’Break their lineage, against any civilian population. break their roots’: China’s crimes against humanity targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic COMMISSION OF INQUIRY Muslims,” compared existing research, me- The alleged crimes highlighted in the report dia reports, government documents and data include imprisonment, deprivation of liberty from China, concluding that Beijing is carry- [ 4 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press in violation of international law, persecution courts in the region allegedly handing down of an identifiable ethnic or religious group, “harsh prison sentences” without due pro- enforced disappearance, torture, murder, in- cess. humane acts intentionally causing great suf- fering or serious injury to mental or physical “According to official statistics, arrests in health, forced labor and sexual violence. Xinjiang accounted for nearly 21% of all arrests in China in 2017, despite people in The report urges the United Nations Human Xinjiang making up only 1.5% of the total Rights Council (UNHRC) to create a com- population,” the report said. mission of inquiry (COI) to investigate the crimes. Additionally, evidence shows that local authorities in Xinjiang have used various meth- ods to damage or destroy at least two-thirds of mosques in Xinjiang. Local authorities also implement a vast surveillance network across the region by collecting DNA sam- ples, fingerprints, iris scans and blood types of Xinjiang residents between the age of 12 and 65. HRW’s Richardson told DW the report high- lights how the Chinese government’s policies that have affected Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in the past several years. “The COI should have a mandate to estab- “We reached the conclusion that these vio- lish the facts, identify the perpetrators, and lations fit that definition of widespread and make recommendations to provide account- systematic,” she said. ability,” the report said. “The COI should Experts say that growing evidence against be comprised of eminent persons, including China allows the international community to experts in international human rights law, address the human rights violations in Xin- crimes against humanity, the rights of ethnic jiang. and religious minorities, and gender issues.” “I think it’s particularly important Several Western countries have imposed [for countries] to call on the UN to coordinated sanctions against several Chi- nese officials believed to be responsible for establish a commission of inquiry the human rights violations in Xinjiang. In into not only crimes against hu- a tit-for-tat move, Beijing imposed sanctions manity, but also genocide,” said on several individuals and entities in those Yonah Diamond, legal counsel countries. for the Raoul Wallenberg Center ‘WIDESPREAD AND for Human Rights and one of the authors of a recent independent SYSTEMATIC’ VIOLATIONS report that determined Beijing’s According to HRW, an estimated 1 million actions in Xinjiang have violated people have been detained in 300 to 400 the UN Genocide Convention. facilities across Xinjiang since 2017, with [ 5 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

“Often when a genocide is occurring, you ommendations about the merits of national have counts of crimes against humanity also or federal prosecutors starting to gather evi- brought into the docket,” Diamond told DW. dence, and there is also the prospect of uni- versal jurisdiction cases,” she added. TAKING CHINA TO TASK Diamond says countries and independent ex- Rights activists say it is crucial perts are responsible for taking China to task. for the UN’s high commissioner for human rights to put the “There is a real consensus within the inter- Xinjiang human rights issue on national legal community that crimes against the UNHRC agenda. “The high humanity and genocide are happening in commissioner should try to find Xinjiang,” Diamond said. “Governments pathways forward, whether should continue to use the Global Magnitsky that’s through a resolution or Act or human rights sanctions to target individuals and entities most responsible for [the whether that’s through other human rights crisis in Xinjiang].” tools like an urgent debate,” said Richardson. Experts believe these legal determinations can also offer support to overseas Uyghurs “I think it’s also important to remember that and other ethnic minorities. “We want to there are options available to governments let the Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic outside of the UN system. There are rec- communities inside and outside of Xinjiang know that we certainly recognize this is an ongoing nightmare, and we want to do ev- erything we can to push forward the idea of accountability,” Richardson said. By William Yang

[ 6 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

THE PANDEMIC’S CHILLING EFFECT ON FREE SPEECH You’re reading an excerpt from the Today’s More than a year since the WorldView newsletter. Sign up to get the rest, including news from around the globe, onset of the pandemic, there’s interesting ideas and opinions to know, sent a growing body of evidence to to your inbox every weekday. underpin what the U.N. leader described as its “shrinking” of “Our world is facing a pandemic of human “civic space.” Human Rights rights abuses,” wrote United Nations Secre- Watch documented at least tary General António Guterres in a February 83 governments worldwide op-ed for the Guardian. He lamented how the that used the pandemic “to spread of the coronavirus had exposed brutal inequities in many societies, forced tens of justify violating the exercise millions of people deeper into poverty, and of free speech and peaceful set back progress on gender equality by de- assembly … The victims in- cades. clude journalists, activists, healthcare workers, political Guterres also pointed to how some govern- opposition groups, and oth- ments have used the public health emergen- ers who have criticized gov- cy as an excuse for harsh crackdowns. “Us- ernment responses to the ing the pandemic as a pretext, authorities in coronavirus.” The Committee some countries have deployed heavy-handed security responses and emergency measures to Protect Journalists found to crush dissent, criminalise basic freedoms, that, in 2020, a record number silence independent reporting and restrict of journalists were imprisoned the activities of nongovernmental organisa- globally, some of whom were tions,” he wrote. reporting on the pandemic. [ 7 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

According to PEN America, a freedom of America in its report for the “Freedom to expression advocacy organization, in 2020, Write Index,” which released Wednesday. at least 273 writers, academics and public in- “At the same time, the emergency provid- tellectuals in 35 countries were in prison or ed cover for crackdowns on human rights unjustly held in detention in connection with and expansions of government power over their writing, their work or related activism. speech and expression.” It’s a considerable uptick from the organization’s estimate of at least 238 writers and Those crackdowns took place on almost public intellectuals in 2019. every continent: “In Uganda, novelist and journalist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was de- And the pandemic is in part to blame. “Writ- tained and tortured in April, under charges ers have helped expose truths and count- purportedly related to COVID but which ap- er falsehoods in ways that have shaped the pear to have been motivated by authorities’ global public health response,” noted PEN displeasure over his writing,” the report not-

[ 8 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press ed. “In China, police officers used the pre- allegedly swept into detain- text of a ‘coronavirus prevention check’ to ment camps in recent years. find and arrest the essayist and activist Xu “It’s such an information black Zhiyong at his lawyer’s home, and to place hole.” poet Li Bifeng into ‘enforced quarantine’ as a form of detention. In Cuba, police invoked Karlekar also warned of the deteriorating a coronavirus-related ‘health code violation’ situation in China’s neighbor, India, the site in November as a pretext to raid the head- of “continuing attacks on journalists, harass- quarters of the artistic San Isidro Movement, ment of dissidents, leftist intellectuals and arresting more than a dozen members of the people who speak out in favor of minority movement.” rights.” India was the only recognized democracy in the top 10 countries ranked by This is the second year the organization has PEN America for their role in incarcerating conducted what it describes as a “census” of public intellectuals and dissidents. detained writers worldwide. The pandemic deepened the adversity faced by those they Belarus, which had zero documented cases monitored, with numerous writers and dis- in 2019, rocketed up the ranks with 18 in sident voices contracting the coronavirus in 2020 — a reflection of the role numerous au- prison. In June 2020, Saudi columnist Saleh thors, celebrities and academics played in the al-Shehi likely died of covid-related compli- weeks of protests against long-ruling Presi- cations. “Writers are shining a light on the dent Alexander Lukashenko last year. ways in which these governments have failed to sufficiently respond to crisis,” said Sum- Myanmar had eight documented cases in mer Lopez, senior director of free expression 2020, including the members of a satirical programs at PEN America. “Writers are try- poetry troupe known as the Peacock Gen- ing give vision to how things could be differ- eration. But those numbers do not reflect ent, and that’s a reason why we have seen a those swept up in mass arrests after the Feb. lot of people targeted.” 1 coup launched by the country’s military, which has issued warrants for numerous out- China led the organization’s spoken writers and celebrities. “The situa- rankings of jailed writers with tion in Myanmar was not good already,” said 81. These include at least 33 Karlekar, “but we expect it’s going to be the artists, academics and other Belarus of 2021.” cultural figures in Xinjiang, the By Ishaan Tharoor far-western region that’s the site of sweeping government crackdown on ethnic minorities, including Uyghurs. “This number may be only the tip of the iceberg,” Karin Karlekar, lead author of PEN America’s report, told Today’s WorldView, refer- ring to the difficulty of accurate reporting in the region, where millions of people have been [ 9 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

UNDER PRESSURE OVER XINJIANG, CHINA TAKES AIM AT OVERSEAS UYGHURS, ACADEMICS At a crowded press event on Friday in Bei- ing with relatives abroad to come home and jing, Chinese officials aired a video of a thin stop speaking out against China and the rul- Uyghur man with a shaved head, wearing an ing Communist Party. oversized uniform and speaking directly to the camera. Such press conferences have become a staple of Beijing’s widening campaign to defend its “I will try my best to change Xinjiang policies amid mounting Western myself and receive the lenien- criticism, including U.S. sanctions and ac- cy of the party and the govern- cusations of genocide, as Beijing prepares to ment,” says the man, Erkin Tur- host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February. sun, a former TV producer who, China for months has increasingly pushed the officials said, is serving a back against global criticism of its Xinjiang 20-year sentence in Xinjiang on policies, including with explicit attacks on charges of “inciting ethnic ha- women who have made claims of abuse. read tred, ethnic discrimination and more covering up crimes”. Last month the United States, the European Tursun, almost unrecognisable from photos Union, Britain and Canada imposed sanc- shared online before his 2018 arrest, is ad- tions on Chinese officials over human rights dressing his son, who now lives abroad and abuses in Xinjiang. China retaliated with its has publicly advocated against Tursun’s de- own sanctions. read more tention, which he says is arbitrary. Some big Western brands like H&M (HMb. It was one of over half a dozen such seg- ST), facing boycotts in China over their pre- ments showing Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim vious statements on Xinjiang, are struggling ethnic minority in the western region, plead- to strike a balance between consumers in the [ 10 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press world’s second-largest economy and public on Twitter in March after a Chinese state opinion at home. read more broadcaster released footage of his family in Kashgar. Beijing’s propaganda campaign, which has included 11 media briefings in the capital On Friday, Chinese officials shared clips since December, has repeatedly included of Mamutjan’s daughter, sitting beside her efforts to discredit overseas Uyghurs who grandparents. speak to media. “Daddy, when will you come back? We all China has also conducted overseas press miss you,” she said. events, including one this week in Canber- ra, released state media documentaries and United Nations experts and researchers es- a musical movie, invited diplomats from timate over a million people, mostly Uy- friendly countries including Iran, Malaysia ghurs, have been detained in a vast network and Russia to visit Xinjiang, and promoted of camps throughout Xinjiang since 2017. sympathetic foreign YouTubers and news China initially denied the camps existed but sites. has since said they are vocational centres and that all the people who had been there have It has also targeted individual overseas think “graduated”. tank analysts, journalists and academics with sanctions, amplifying critical social media During Friday’s event, officials took aim at comments and aggressive state media cov- databases set up by overseas activists who erage. have documented the names and details of people caught up in China’s camp system. Officials in China’s Foreign Ministry and the Xinjiang government say the efforts are nec- The officials said they had confirmed the essary to counter “lies and slander” released identities of 10,708 people listed in the over- by a network of “anti-China forces” abroad. seas databases but said over 1,300 people on the list were “completely made up,” while ‘DADDY, WHEN WILL YOU COME over 6,000 are living “normal lives.” BACK?’ The officials said 3,244 people listed on one Uyghurs living overseas have said videos of database were serving judicial sentences relatives, often produced by Chinese state inside Xinjiang “for crimes of endangering media outlets, are staged. public security in Xinjiang, terrorism and other crimes.” “The piece is basically pushing a narrative that it is us Uyghurs overseas who suddenly They said 238 had died of illnesses and other abandoned our families, which is laughable,” causes. said Australia-based Mamutjan Abdurehim Overseas rights groups and some relatives of people detained in Xinjiang say they have not been given details of their relatives’ whereabouts or sentences. Xinjiang courts do not make public the vast majority of rulings or case details. By Cate Cadell

[ 11 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

UYGHUR AUSTRALIAN WOMAN BREAKS HER SILENCE AS HER HUSBAND IS SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN A CHINESE JAIL IN XINJIANG

Melbourne woman Mehray Mezensof has “It’s ridiculous, my husband would never do been married for five years, but her husband something like that,” the 26-year-old nurse has been absent for most of that time. told 7.30 in an exclusive interview. Instead, he has been in and out of detention “This isn’t something out of a movie, it is centres and concentration camps multiple happening.” times in China’s far north-western region of Xinjiang. ‘Loving, caring and kind person’ Ms Mezensof has never spoken publicly be- Ms Mezensof was born and raised by a Uy- fore, fearing it would make an already per- ghur family in Australia — her parents emi- ilous situation more dangerous for her hus- grated to Australia from Xinjiang, China 35 band Mirzat Taher. years ago. But she has been pushed to The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is breaking point after receiving home to more than 11 million Uyghurs, an devastating news two weeks ethnic minority in the region who are mostly ago that Mr Taher, an Austra- Muslims and speak Turkic, a language simi- lian permanent resident, has lar to Turkish. been sentenced to 25 years in More than 1 million Uyghurs and other Mus- jail for alleged “separatism”. lim ethnic minorities are believed to have [ 12 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press been targeted, detained and indoctrinated by “It was around this time when we were hear- Chinese authorities since 2017. ing of some unrest happening in the capital city,” she told 7.30. Evidence of these abuses include satellite im- agery showing the location of concentration “We were hearing whispers from people camps and witness accounts detailing rape about how people were disappearing in the and torture, forced sterilisation and forced middle of the night. labour. “And they were getting de- China’s foreign ministry and state media tained and taken to places and have repeatedly denied the allegations say- never be heard of again. ing the camps are “vocational education centres”, and accused western media of fabricat- “It never crossed my mind that something ing stories about Uyghurs and Xinjiang. like that could be happening.” But Ms Mezensof knows only one truth — In early 2017, China’s crackdown on Uy- her husband is currently behind bars in China ghurs and other Muslim minorities was because he is Uyghur. ramping up, with a massive arbitrary detention program. In 2016, when Ms Mezensof was 22, she travelled to Xinjiang for the first time and The reasons behind detention can vary and met Mr Taher. could be as minor as wearing a headscarf, having a beard, or traveling overseas for va- cation. Mr Taher was on alert and the couple wanted to leave Xinjiang as soon as possible. They booked flights to Melbourne for April 12, but they never made it to the airport. The couple’s worst fears were realised on the night of April 10, when police came knock- ing. “There was like this kind of spark … it “They confiscated my husband’s passport sounds silly and so cliche, but I feel like hon- and one of the first things they asked was, estly it was love at first sight,” she said. had my husband travelled overseas,” Ms “From that moment when I first spoke to Mezensof recalled. him, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of “Prior to us getting married, my husband my life with him. travelled to Turkey and he lived and worked “He was just such a loving, caring and kind there for about a year so. person.” “So hearing that straightaway, they were just ‘People were disappearing’ like, OK, we have to continue this at the police station, and then they took him out.” After marrying in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital city, Ms Mezensof applied for an Australian He did not return that night. It was the last visa for Mr Taher. The visa was granted on time Ms Mezensof saw her husband for more April 1, 2017. than two years. [ 13 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021 After her application for visa extension was rejected, she had to leave Xinjiang, arriving back in Australia at the end of 2019. ‘Taken again’ Ms Mezensof’s plan to return to China was hindered by the coronavirus pandemic. Un- able to travel, the couple stayed in contact over the phone. But on the morning of May 19, 2020, Ms After being questioned by local police for Mezensof noticed something was up: her three days, Mr Taher was taken to a detention messages went unanswered for hours. centre for 10 months before transferring to a concentration camp. “I was freaking out … every time I’d text, Short reunion he’d always get back to me,” she recalled. Mr Taher was unexpectedly released on May “I was constantly calling him and video call- 22, 2019, Ms Mezensof said. ing him, and he just wouldn’t answer. Several weeks later, the couple reunited at “Then that was when I found out that [po- the Urumqi airport. lice] had come in and taken him again.” “I was at work when I received the call, I was She said her husband was detained again on just like screaming,” Ms Mezensof recalled. that day and allegedly taken to a camp until August 30, 2020. “I was so hopeful; I was so sure that this time he was going to come back with me [to Austra- lia].” Later, Mr Taher told her what had occurred behind the high walls of the concentration camp. “He said it was constant brainwashing … it just sounded crazy,” Ms Mezensof said. “Learning about the Chinese Communist Par- ty, reading books, and memorising speeches. “After they released him, police officials were still keeping a really close eye on him. “They pretty much called him whenever they got the chance. It was constant surveillance.” Ms Mezensof’s six-month Chinese visa was running out, but the couple was unable to retrieve Mr Taher’s passport from Chinese authorities. [ 14 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press “It’s just outrageous. The whole reason he went to Turkey was for a holiday, and he ended up really liking it there, so that’s why he decided to live and work there for a little bit.” The Chinese embassy in Australia and Chi- na’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to 7.30’s questions by deadline. Mr Taher’s Australian permanent residency Ms Mezensof said neither herself nor her was granted shortly before his release. husband’s family in Xinjiang had received But only weeks later, Mr Taher was detained any written court document or notice about for a third time. her husband’s conviction. 7.30 has seen a notice of arrest issued by 7.30 has approached local authorities in Hami police in Xinjiang on October 23, Hami multiple times to obtain Mr Taher’s 2020. verdict and verify his whereabouts — the at- tempts were unsuccessful. According to the notice, Mr Taher was arrested for the alleged crime of “organising, His name does not appear on China’s Judi- leading and participating in terrorist organi- cial Process Information website relating to sation” and was detained in Yizhou District’s legal cases. detention centre in Hami, south-east of the 7.30 has also seen a police clearance issued capital city Urumqi. by the Turkish authorities on January 2017, ‘Extremely harsh sentence’ saying Mr Taher has “no criminal records”. Ms Mezensof said her husband’s court hear- “I remember just sitting and crying and shak- ing occurred in January, where his family at- ing my head,” Ms Mezensof said of learning tended a court in Hami. his sentence. Two weeks ago, on April 1, he was sentenced “He’s 30 now, if he carries out these 25 years, to 25 years in prison, Ms Mezensof said. he’s going to be 55 and I’m going to be over 50 … that can’t be true.” “My husband had been sentenced to 25 years prison by the [Chinese Communist Party], all because of time that he spent in Turkey,” she said. “In their eyes, what they’ve convicted him of is separatism. What they’ve got on him is that when he went to Turkey, [they claim] he basically organised and participated in these kinds of political activities to try and establish an independent country.

[ 15 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021 Sophie Richardson, the China director of in- “Crimes against humanity are among some ternational advocacy group Human Rights of the most serious violations under interna- Watch (HRW), said the case is “horrifying”. tional law.” “Twenty five years is a real outlier. That is The new report sets out the evidentiary ba- an extraordinarily harsh sentence,” she told sis for the use of the term and has uncovered 7.30. a long and distressing list of crimes against humanity that the Chinese government com- “One of the pieces of information we uncov- mits. ered was a Chinese government list of 26 so called sensitive countries … many of them They range from mass surveillance, mass have Muslim majority populations and Tur- arrests, mass arbitrary detention in forced key is on that list. disappearances, sexual violence and forced labour that are targeted at Uyghurs and other “It’s a very common place for [Uyghur] Muslim minorities. people to go and study or travel to or have business with, and presumably that was the She said governments around the world, in- trigger issue here.” cluding Australia, should respond to the find- ings accordingly. “The Chinese government is now so powerful in the international system, that I think there’s a perception that many of the avenues to investigating and prosecuting these crimes are blocked. “We believe that idea has to be challenged, and that it’s imperative to contemplate in- ‘Crimes against humanity’ vestigations on this basis of Chinese government officials.” Human Rights Watch has released a legal assessment today which concludes that the Last month, the United Nations secre- Chinese government has committed and is tary-general Antonio Guterres said the UN is continuing to commit crimes against human- holding “serious negotiations” with China to ity in Xinjiang against Uyghurs, Kazakhs gain unfettered access to Xinjiang for inves- and other Turkic communities. tigation. Ms Richardson said it is a significant but Twenty seven countries including Australia warranted step for the organisation to use the and the UK, have formally expressed con- term “crimes against humanity”. cern over China’s treatment of Uyghurs. “It’s a term that refers to widespread system- The US and Canada have both accused Chi- atic concerted crimes committed by authori- na of committing genocide against the Uy- ties against a population and these kinds of ghur population, with Chinese officials fac- abuses can take place in wartime or in peace- ing mounting sanctions from the West. time,” she said. [ 16 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press “The Australian Government stands ready to provide consular assistance to Australian citizens overseas, but note our bilateral consular agreement with China only allows us access to Australian citizens who have entered China on an Australian passport. “We are not entitled to provide consular assistance to anyone who is not an Australian citizen in China.” But Chinese ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye dismissed that allegation by holding a press conference in Canberra two weeks ago alongside high ranking Xinjiang officials, saying the government maintains “ethnic harmony” in Xinjiang while cracking down on terrorism. HRW stopped short of using the term “genocide” in the latest report, but Ms Richardson said the report does not preclude that finding. “We’re very clear that if at such time, we are able to show the intent that’s typically For Ms Mezensof, all she wants required for something like a genocide pros- is to be with her husband and ecution, we will have no trouble saying so,” have a normal life. she said. “It feels like I’m telling a story “The key next step really is for the High that’s not my own,” she said. Commissioner for Human Rights to say that she will push for an investigation outside the “Growing up in Australia, being country and move to assemble evidence. born and raised here, and then hearing something like that, it “I think Beijing’s goal is to si- just seems so unreal. But I lived lence people. It’s to tell us all to through this. stop asking, to stop caring.” “My life wasn’t supposed to be In a statement to 7.30, the Department of like this. I just wanted to have Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said it “is a normal, boring life like every- aware of the specific case but for privacy rea- one else.” sons we cannot provide further detail”. “The Foreign Minister recently set out the Australian Government’s grave concerns By Grace Tobin and Samuel Yang about the growing number of credible reports of severe human rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang,” the statement said. [ 17 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

CHINA USING PROPAGANDA ADS ON FACEBOOK TO SHOW OPPRESSED MUSLIMS HAPPY Facebook may be blocked in China but its necessary to quell terrorist threats in the re- government is reportedly using the platform gion. to spread propaganda about its Uyghur minority population via advertising. The advertisements and posts by the Chinese government and state media include videos According to a report from The of people in Xinjiang, including some chil- Wall Street Journal, some Face- dren, saying on video that their lives have book staff are raising red flags improved and attributing criticisms to West- on internal message boards and ern efforts to destabilize China. in other employee discussion A Facebook rep told The Journal the spon- groups about the propagan- sored posts don’t violate its policies and that da, including sponsored posts the company is monitoring reports of the from Chinese groups that pur- situation in Xinjiang “to help inform our ap- portedly show its Muslim ethnic proach and due diligence on this issue.” minority Uyghurs prospering in China’s Xinjiang region. Still, Facebook is mulling whether to act on its concerns, including by monitoring how The ads come as Beijing comes under intense international organizations like the United criticism globally for mass internment and Nations will respond to the situation in Xin- forced sterilizations campaigns toward its jiang, WSJ said, citing anonymous sources. Uyghur population, which has led to claims Last week, the UN called on firms conduct- of genocide. ing Xinjiang-linked business to undertake “meaningful human rights due diligence” on Beijing has denied any human-rights viola- their operations. tions in Xinjiang and says that its actions are [ 18 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press A Chinese government spokesperson did not some posts from former president Donald respond to requests seeking comment, re- Trump. garding its Facebook activity. In this case, introducing policies to tackle Typically, Facebook takes down Beijing’s ads of posts from state-controlled media out- Xinjiang-related ads within a few days, if lets would be tantamount to deciding what internal reviews show they are not properly governments are allowed to broadcast on the labeled as pertaining to social and political platform. issues. Advertisers are required, when taking out ads, to indicate in Facebook’s ad-pur- “These ads provide a vehicle for Beijing’s chasing interface when they cover such top- propaganda,” a rep for New York-based hu- ics. man-rights group Avaaz told The Journal. “Even if the amounts aren’t huge, it’s a direct If those rules are followed, ads are then profit stream” for Facebook, he said. “That’s shown with the name of the group that paid what’s particularly troubling.” for them. If not, users still see the ads without that information. Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox re- sponded earlier this year to an employee post For Facebook, China is still a big client, even in the social-media giant’s internal group for though the platform has been blocked in the Muslim staff, called Muslim@, that pointed country since 2009. Citing digital research out that the US government had declared Bei- analysis, The Journal said revenue from ad- jing’s treatment of Uyghurs a genocide, and vertisers in China may exceed $5 billion a that rival Twitter had taken action against the year. This would put China as Facebook’s account of China’s US Embassy for a tweet largest revenue source after the US. about Uyghurs that violated its policies, The Journal said. Moreover, China’s state-controlled media outlets run three of the world’s top 20 “It’s time our platform takes action to fight most-followed Facebook pages, according to misinformation on the Uyghur genocide,” online reference library DataReportal. Bei- the employee wrote in the post, which they jing’s international news channel, CGTN, described as a “plea to our leadership.” has more than 115 million followers, which is the fourth-most in the world, Cox reportedly replied: “Thanks for loop- ing me in. This is incredibly serious. Let me Facebook, which doesn’t break out revenue check with our integrity teams for a status by country, has long wrestled with the ethical update and circle back personally or with the and logistical issues that come with taking right POC [point of contact].” down posts or removing ads. Recently, the company has been criticized for removing By Alexandra Steigrad

[ 19 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

CANADIAN COUPLE WITNESSES TO CHINA’S ‘METHODICAL’ REPRESSION OF UYGHURS During the decade they lived in the Chinese ity, are now detained in internment camps. region of Xinjiang, Canadians Gary and An- drea Dyck had a front-row seat to Beijing’s China has strongly denied allegations of hu- “very methodical” repression of the Uyghur man rights violations, saying training pro- people, which Canada’s parliament and oth- grams, work schemes and better education ers have declared to be genocide. have helped stamp out extremism in the northwest region and raise income. “We saw these things starting to happen and we knew this is The Dycks, who are fluent in Uyghur and Mandarin, settled in Xinjiang in 2007 and not going anywhere good,” An- ran a composting business for agricultural drea Dyck said. “We started to waste. see more and more restrictions. Every week there was a new “We just really enjoyed life, enjoyed being rule or a new development.” with the Uyghur people and being accepted and welcomed into relationships and the cul- Rights groups say up to one million Uyghurs, ture, and it was a very special time -- until a mostly Muslim Turkic minority with a cul- it wasn’t,” Andrea told AFP on Friday from ture distinct from China’s ethnic Han major- their home in Manitoba.

[ 20 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press Following violent riots in 2009 that they Gary said a wall around it was 15 feet high, witnessed, “traditional Uyghur neighbor- topped with barbed wire, and monitored by hoods had started to be dismantled, people security cameras as well as guard patrols. were moved more and more into apartment buildings, away from their communities,” “A few of our (then) 15-year-old son’s she said. friends were turning 18 soon, and they were fearful because they would be legal age and Targeting of Uyghur culture that Gary called they were wondering if they were going to be “very methodical” started with restrictions taken to these camps next, and so they were on Islamic traditions, and expanded later to actually dreading turning 18,” Gary said. include rules on food, clothing, and even language. “Where (else) in the world does a 17-year- old dread turning 18,” he lamented. The couple said some versions of the Koran were banned, and eventually all books in the Many young men started post- Turkic language. ing photos of themselves smoking or drinking on social media “In a prominent market I saw a sign posted so as “to not appear Muslim.” that said it’s not allowed to speak Uyghur,” One family friend took up Andrea said. smoking again for his own safe- “Every single thing became mandated in a ty, after years trying to quit for way, (people are told) it’s permitted, but then health reasons. in this way only,” she explained. Tensions were high, with authorities con- In 2016, as the crackdown intensified, the stantly warning of possible attacks. couple said they started noticing an increased “We got so used to this pervasive security,” police presence, with checkpoints set up at Andrea said, recounting how her five-year- every major intersection and closed-circuit old daughter and her friend made up an security cameras installed all over. imaginary world for their dolls “and the way “Suddenly, you had to go through airport-lev- you got into this world of magic was through el security just to walk into a grocery store,” a security system.” Andrea said. The couple left Xinjiang in 2018 amid an ex- Next came the internment camps. odus of foreigners after visa rules were tight- ened. “As the camps were being built, and people were being taken away months later, there “There were so many restrictions,” said was no pushback, there was no fight because Gary. “We just felt we were living in a huge there was so much security and they were penitentiary” with 12 million Uyghurs. overwhelmed as a people,” Gary said. “Also we felt we were becoming a liability to A detention center -- Beijing has termed Uyghurs around us, those who knew us, that them vocational training centers meant to re- they could be taken into camps for any rea- duce the allure of Islamic extremism in the son, and knowing us could be one of those,” wake of attacks -- was even built down the Gary said. road from their home.

[ 21 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

CHINA LAUNCHES MUSICAL IN BID TO COUNTER UYGHUR ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

Beijing is attempting to draw attention away from reports it is holding at least one million in Xinjiang internment camps. A new state-produced musical set in Xinjiang inspired by the Hollywood blockbuster “La La Land” has hit China’s cin- emas, portraying a rural idyll of ethnic cohesion devoid of repression, mass surveillance and even the Islam of its majority Uyghur population.

China is on an elaborate PR offensive to re- Beijing denies all allegations of abuse and brand the north-western region where the has instead recast Xinjiang as a haven of so- United States and other western nationals and cial cohesion and economic renewal that has human rights groups say genocide has been turned its back on years of violent extremism inflicted on the Uyghurs and other Muslim thanks to benevolent state intervention. minorities. The movie, whose release was reportedly de- As allegations of slavery and forced labour layed by a year, focuses on three men from inside Xinjiang’s cotton industry have drawn different ethnic groups dreaming of the big renewed global attention, including big time as they gather musical inspiration across brands like Nike saying they would no lon- cultures in the snow-capped mountains and ger source materials from the region, inside desertscapes of the vast region. China, Beijing has been curating a very different narrative for the troubled region. Trailing the movie, state-run Global Times reported that overseas blockbusters such as Rap songs, photo exhibitions and a musical – “La La Land” have “inspired Chinese stu- “The Wings of Songs” – are leading the cul- dios” to produce their own domestic hits. tural reframing of the region, while a legion of celebrities have seemingly unprompted But the musical omits the surveillance cam- leapt to the defence of Xinjiang’s tarnished eras and security checks that blanket Xinji- textile industry. ang. Also noticeably absent are references to [ 22 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press Islam – despite more than half of the popu- lie repeated a thousand times becomes truth”, lation of Xinjiang being Muslim – and there he said. are no mosques or women in veils. To many Chinese, that messaging appears In one scene, a leading character, a well-shav- to be working. en Uyghur, toasts with a beer in his hand. “I have been to Xinjiang and the film is very realistic,” one moviegoer told AFP after see- ing “The Wings of Songs” in Beijing. “Peo- ple are happy, free and open,” he said, de- clining to give his name. Last week, celebrities, tech brands and state media – whipped up by outrage on China’s tightly controlled social media – piled in on several global fashion brands who have At least one million Uyghurs and other most- raised concerns over forced labour and re- ly Muslim groups have been held in camps fused to source cotton from Xinjiang. in Xinjiang, according to right groups, where Sweden’s H&M was the worst-hit and on authorities are also accused of forcibly ster- Wednesday attempted to limit the damage in ilising women and imposing forced labour. its fourth-largest market. That has enraged Beijing, which at first de- The clothing giant issued a statement saying nied the existence of the camps and then de- it wanted to regain the trust of people in Chi- fended them as training programmes. na, but the message was greeted with scorn In March, Britain and the EU took joint ac- on the Twitter-like Weibo platform, where tion with the US and Canada to impose par- 35 million people shared the fashion chain’s allel sanctions on senior Chinese officials comments. involved in the mass internment of Uyghur The pushback has taken on a pop culture Muslims in Xinjiang province in the first edge, with a rap released this week castigat- such western action against Beijing since Joe ing “lies” by the “western settlers” about cot- Biden took office. ton from the region, while state broadcaster China hit back immediately, blacklisting CGTN is set to release a documentary on the MEPs, European diplomats and thinktanks. unrest that prompted the Beijing crackdown. Last month, China also swiftly closed down It is impossible to gain unfettered access to the Clubhouse app, an audio platform where Xinjiang, with foreign media shadowed by uncensored discussions briefly flowered in- authorities on visits and then harassed for cluding on Xinjiang, with Uyghurs giving their reporting. unvarnished accounts of life to attentive Han This week, BBC journalist John Sudworth Chinese guests. hurriedly left China for Taiwan, alleging “in- The current PR push on Xinjiang aims at timidation” after reporting on conditions in controlling the narrative for internal con- the cotton farms of Xinjiang. sumption, says Larry Ong, of US-based con- By Agence France-Presse sultancy SinoInsider. Beijing “knows that a [ 23 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

CHINA: TWO FORMER UYGHUR OFFICIALS SENTENCED FOR ‘SEPARATIST ACTIVITIES’ The former heads of Xinjiang’s minority Muslim group to be sentenced on justice and education depart- national security charges. ments have been sentenced to China said it has been pursuing a campaign death with a reprieve. China against what it calls “two-faced officials” continues to reject allegations who are supposedly trying to undermine Chi- of rights abuses against the nese rule in the region. Muslim Uyghur minority. The ruling Communist Party has been ac- Authorities in the northwestern Chinese cused of human rights abuses amid a large- province of Xinjiang have handed out death scale crackdown against minority Muslim sentences to two former government offi- groups in the region since deadly terror at- cials from the local Uyghur minority group, tacks several years ago. the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported. Ex-justice official accused of terror group collusion The two men from the Muslim Turkic minority group were sentenced to death with Bawudun, the former head of the Xinjiang a two-year reprieve on Tuesday for carrying department of justice, was sentenced for out “separatist activities” as well as accept- “splitting the country,” a statement on the re- ing bribes. gional government website said on Tuesday. Reprieve sentences, like those given to the The court found him guilty of colluding with two convicted men, are often commuted to the terrorist East Turkistan Islamic Move- life imprisonment. ment (ETIM) after he met with a key member from the group in 2003, Xinhua reported. Shirzat Bawudun and Sattar Sawut are just the latest Xinjiang former officials from a He was charged with illegally providing “information to foreign forces” and carrying out [ 24 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press “illegal religious activities at his daughter’s Ongoing crackdown against Muslim mi- wedding,” according to Xinhua. norities The US removed ETIM from its list of ter- The Chinese government has denied accusa- ror groups in November saying there was tions of “genocide” and abuse of the Uyghur “no credible evidence that ETIM continues and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, to exist.” saying its actions have been necessary to prevent violent extremism. Official targeted over textbooks China has also attacked accusations of forced Sawut — the former director of the Xinjiang labor of Uyghurs in factories and cotton education department — was found guilty of fields as well as sanctions imposed by the US including ethnic separatism, violence, terror- on individual officials connected with perse- ism and religious extremism content in Uy- cution carried out in Xinjiang. ghur language textbooks. Rights groups have said that The court connected the textbooks to attacks China detained over 1 million in the regional capital Urumqi in 2009, which left at least 200 people dead. people in prison-like reeduca- tion centers where they are told “Sawut took advantage of compiling and to denounce Islam and tradi- publishing ethnic language textbooks for pri- tional culture, learn Mandarin mary and secondary schools to split the coun- Chinese and swear loyalty to try, starting in 2002. He instructed others to the Communist Party and Pres- pick several people with separatist thoughts ident Xi Jinping. to join the textbook compilation team, the court found,” Xinhua reported, citing com- Many Uyghur academics have ments by Wang Langtao, the vice president been arrested on charges of of the court in Xinjiang that handed down the separatism. sentence.

[ 25 ] Monthly Journal of Press April 2021

[ 26 ] April 2021 Monthly Journal of Press

References https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/22/world/uk-china-uyghur-genocide-motion-gbr-intl/index.html https://www.dw.com/en/new-report-slams-china-for-systematic-oppression-against-uyghurs/a-57249311 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/21/free-speech-pandemic/ https://www.reuters.com/world/china/under-pressure-over-xinjiang-china-takes-aim-overseas-uighurs-academics-2021-04-09/ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-20/uyghur-australian-resident-sentenced-to-jail-in-xinjiang-china/100074634 https://nypost.com/2021/04/02/china-using-propaganda-ads-on-facebook-to-show-oppressed-muslims-happy/ https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210425-canadian-couple-witnesses-to-china-s-methodical-repression-of-uyghurs https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/03/china-launches-musical-in-bid-to-counter-uyghur-abuse-allegations https://www.dw.com/en/china-two-former-uyghur-officials-sentenced-for-separatist-activities/a-57116455

[ 27 ] 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 Erşat Niyazi

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