China

Background

Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking people who are culturally and linguistically close to Central Asian nations. Most Uyghurs practice Sunni Islam. Around 11 million to 12 million live in Xinjiang, making up about 40% of the region's population, while the Han Chinese majority makes up the other 40%. Beginning heavily around 2014 and expanding fast in 2017, the Chinese government launched a harsh security campaign. Officials locked up more than one million Uyghurs in closed facilities without a legal trial. China called these places "vocational education and training centers", but independent investigators call them re-education or internment camps. Beijing claimed the camps were needed to stop religious extremism and terrorism after past violent clashes. Sources such as the united states holocaust memorial museum show that detainees suffered from torture, forced political lectures, bans on religious clothing or beards, and family separation. Abuses include the state using massive camera networks, facial recognition, and mobile phone tracking to watch every move of the population. Many people from the camps or local towns are being moved into guarded factories to do low-paid work, producing items like cotton and textiles. Authorities have torn down numerous mosques, shrines, and traditional cemeteries. Similar to before, mentioned Reports detail forced sterilizations, forced abortions, and birth limits aimed at reducing the Uyghur birth rate.