#HumanitarianCrisis #Genocide
#AmnestyInternational: #China has "created a dystopian hellscape on a staggering scale" in #Xinjiang

//“The Chinese authorities have created a dystopian hellscape on a staggering scale in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities face crimes against humanity and other serious human rights violations that threaten to erase their religious and cultural identities."

“It should shock the conscience of humanity that massive numbers of people have been subjected to brainwashing, torture and other degrading treatment in internment camps, while millions more live in fear amid a vast surveillance apparatus.”

From the moment they entered the prison-like internment camps, detainees’ lives were extraordinarily regimented. They had no privacy or autonomy, and they faced harsh punishments – sometimes collectively with their cellmates – for trivial disobedience. Internees were forbidden to speak freely to each other, and they were severely punished when they responded to prison guards or other officials in their native tongues instead of Mandarin. Every activity in the detainees’ daily routine was pre-ordained and their behaviour was constantly monitored and evaluated....

Every former detainee Amnesty International interviewed suffered torture or other ill-treatment.

This included the cumulative psychological effect of their daily dehumanization, as well as physical torture in the form of beatings, electric shocks, solitary confinement, deprivation of food, water and sleep, exposure to extreme cold, and the abusive use of restraints, including torture tools like tiger chairs. Some reported being restrained in a tiger chair for 24 hours or more...

The Chinese government has gone to extraordinary lengths to cover up its violations of international human rights law in Xinjiang. Authorities threaten, detain and mistreat anyone who speaks out...//

Read full article:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/06/china-draconian-repression-of-muslims-in-xinjiang-amounts-to-crimes-against-humanity/

Source: Amnesty International #Jun10

Image by Molly Crabapple

#Uyghurs #ConcentrationCamp #CCP #AgainstHumanity #Torture #Rape #MassSurveillance

Amnesty International Report Describes Xinjiang's Situation as a “Dystopian Hell Landscape"

Amnesty International characterized the Chinese government’s actions against the Turkic Muslim population as a “crime against humanity” on Thursday (10 June). They publish a 160-page report, stating Uyghurs and Muslim minorities in Xinjiang are facing systematic abuse, including the torture tool “tiger chair” that a slight move can lead to great pain to the person in the seat.

Recently, many governments and international organizations accuse China of human rights violations. Among them, Amnesty International has been investigating the Xinjiang issue for years. This report describes the Chinese government's intention to remove Muslim cultures and traditions within the territory by different means. The report also states the government regards Turkic Muslim in the region as “extremists”. The report alleges that since most Xinjiang people are afraid of being imprisoned or badly treated, they stop praying nor following any act of Islam observance, including clothing, retouching and speech. Some locals said to Amnesty International, “We cannot say 'let peace be with you (as-salamu-alaykum)'. The government even ban Koran, prayer mats and other religious products.

The report also quotes evidence from Turkic Muslim that they are detained in Chinese government-called “re-education camps", with abuse by the authority. Turkic Muslim women were even forced to accept the system of sterilization or birth control.

Source: Stand News #Jun11

https://bit.ly/3jmJOZQ

#AmnestyInternational #Xinjiang #Uyghurs #Turkic #Islam #Muslim #China #HumanRights #Imprison #Extremist #ReeducationCamp #Genocide

#Uyghurs
France probes fashion retailers for concealing 'crimes against humanity' in #Xinjiang

//French prosecutors have opened an investigation into four fashion retailers suspected of concealing "crimes against humanity" in China's Xinjiang region, a judicial source said on Thursday.

The procedure is linked to accusations against China over its treatment of minority Muslim Uyghurs in the region, including the use of forced labour, the source said.

The source told Reuters #Uniqlo France, a unit of Japan's Fast Retailing (9983.T), #Zara owner Inditex (ITX.MC), France's #SMCP (SMCP.PA) and #Skechers (SKX.N) were the subject of the investigation, confirming a report by French media website Mediapart.//

Read more:
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/france-investigate-fashion-retailers-concealing-crimes-against-humanity-xinjiang-2021-07-01/

Source: Reuters #Jul2

#XinjiangCotton #ConcentrationCamp #HumanitarianCrisis #Genocide

The UN Human Rights Council meeting will be held next Monday, 60 members of Congress around the world jointly signed the urge Xinjiang genocide 
 
The 47th UN Human Rights Council meeting will be held next Monday, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance in China indicated on Friday, there are over 60 members of Congress from 17 countries or regions wrote to Nazhat Shameem Khan, the President of the UN Human Rights Council (18June). As well as Foreign Ministers of Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, they urged to the UN for establishing a commission of inquiry and investigating the allegations of Xinjiang China genocide and crimes against humanity.  
 
The co-signed letter was coordinated by the “Traditional Parliamentary Union on China Policy”, the co-signers are included 60 congressmen from Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, and Europe. The letter stated, as members of the United Nations Human Rights Council, countries request foreign ministers to support the establishment of independent investigation committees and investigate Xinjiang’s violations of human rights of Uyghurs and other minorities, including allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity. Besides, the investigation commission also has the responsibility to identify the persons involved and hold them accountable. In addition, the committee should make recommendations to end the Chinese government’s violation of human rights in Xinjiang, and report to the UN Human Rights Council on a regular basis.  
 
Source: Stand News #Jun19
 
 https://bit.ly/2V2Ob2d
 
#UnitedNations #HumanRights #Genocide #Uyghurs #Xinjiang #China #Australia #UnitedStates #UnitedKingdom #Humanity  

The U.S. Recognizes China Conducting Genocide in Xinjiang

U.S. State Department published a new report on genocide and assaulted prevention, recognizing China conducts genocide in Xinjiang.

The report first detailly elaborates the assault in six countries (China, Myanmar, Iraq, Ethiopia, Syria and South Sudan). The report then indicates China continuously conducting genocide against Uyghurs and other minorities, including prison, torture and forced sterilization. The U.S. has taken multiple measures to respond, including sanctions of relevant officials and parties, limitation of visa issuance and exporting products involved in forced labour. And the Biden government expanded the sanctions against China of the late Trump government.

Source: I-Cable #Jul13

https://youtu.be/lSdCOuJwOL4

#USA #US #China #Biden #Uyghur #genocide #sanctions #minorities

#Genocide
'Some are just #psychopaths': Chinese detective in exile reveals extent of torture against #Uyghurs

Source: CNN #Oct4

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#Genocide
'Some are just #psychopaths': Chinese detective in exile reveals extent of torture against #Uyghurs

//The ex-detective turned #whistleblower asked to be identified only as Jiang, to protect his family members who remain in China.

In a three-hour interview with CNN, conducted in Europe where he is now in exile, Jiang revealed rare details on what he described as a systematic campaign of torture against ethnic Uyghurs in the region's detention camp system, claims China has denied for years.

"Kick them, beat them (until they're) bruised and swollen," Jiang said, recalling how he and his colleagues used to interrogate detainees in police detention centers. "Until they kneel on the floor crying."

The methods included shackling people to a metal or wooden "tiger chair" -- chairs designed to immobilize suspects -- hanging people from the ceiling, sexual violence, electrocutions, and waterboarding. Inmates were often forced to stay awake for days, and denied food and water, he said.

"Everyone uses different methods. Some even use a wrecking bar, or iron chains with locks," Jiang said. "Police would step on the suspect's face and tell him to confess."

The suspects were accused of terror offenses, said Jiang, but he believes that "none" of the hundreds of prisoners he was involved in arresting had committed a crime. "They are ordinary people," he said.//

//...During the routine overnight operations, Jiang said they would be given lists of names of people to round up, as part of orders to meet official quotas on the numbers of Uyghurs to detain.

"It's all planned, and it has a system," Jiang said. "Everyone needs to hit a target."

If anyone resisted arrest, the police officers would "hold the gun against his head and say do not move. If you move, you will be killed."

He said teams of police officers would also search people's houses and download the data from their computers and phones.

Another tactic was to use the area's neighborhood committee to call the local population together for a meeting with the village chief, before detaining them en masse.

Describing the time as a "combat period," Jiang said officials treated Xinjiang like a war zone, and police officers were told that Uyghurs were enemies of the state.

He said it was common knowledge among police officers that 900,000 Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities were detained in the region in a single year.

Jiang said if he had resisted the process, he would have been arrested, too.

Inside the police detention centers, the main goal was to extract a confession from detainees, with sexual torture being one of the tactics, Jiang said.

"If you want people to confess, you use the electric baton with two sharp tips on top," Jiang said. "We would tie two electrical wires on the tips and set the wires on their genitals while the person is tied up."

He admitted he often had to play "bad cop" during interrogations but said he avoided the worst of the violence, unlike some of his colleagues.

"Some people see this as a job, some are just psychopaths," he said.

One "very common measure" of torture and dehumanization was for guards to order prisoners to rape and abuse the new male inmates, Jiang said.//

Read the full article:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/04/china/xinjiang-detective-torture-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

Source: CNN #Oct4

#Torture #Rape #GangRape #HumanitarianCrisis #Chinazi #ConcentrationCamp #Xinjiang
#Astrocity

Another organisation asks the International Tribunal in The Hague to investigate China: Chinese personnel coerce overseas to arrest Uyghurs

Another organisation filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hauge, accusing Chinese officials of conducting operations in foreign countries to force Uyghurs to return to China. Methods include creating visa problems and forcing Uyghurs to become informants.

This was the third complaint to ICC from Uyghur representatives for investigating China. The charges include crimes against humanity, genocide, and the use of force to coerce Uyghurs to return to China. In the past, ICC refused to handle as China is not a member of ICC, which is not within the jurisdiction.

However, according to the cases of Rohingya being targeted and mutilated in Bangladesh and Myanmar in 2018 and 2019, ICC still has jurisdiction since part of the criminal acts occurred in member states. Myanmar is not a member, but Bangladesh is. Although ICC did not accept China’s allegations of genocide against Uyghurs in 2020, they indicated that the case was not a closed file but required more evidence.

The indictment is from the government-in-exile of the Republic of East Turkistan and the East Turkic Awakening Movement. The Guardian quoted relevant court documents that the “internal witness testimony” from Uyghurs has matched the threshold of ICC. It said that the case involved the deportation of Uyghurs from Tajikistan, which is a member of ICC.

Source: Stand News #Nov12

#Uyghurs #Genocide #CCP #ICC

World Muslim Leaders Boycott Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

On December 30, 2021, The Global Imams Council (#GIC) made a decision to boycott the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Council is, according to its website, the "largest transnational non-governmental body of Muslim religious leaders from all Islamic Denominations and Schools of thought."

In a statement, the Council described China as a "tyrannical and oppressive regime that is responsible for the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Uyghurs".

Source: The Global Imams Council #Dec30

#WinterOlympics #Boycott #CCP #Genocide #Uyghurs

Canadian and Taiwanese Artists Uses Music and Drawings to Show their Support on Human Rights

#BeijingWinterOlympics has begun since #Feb04 with boycotts voices circulating the world.

Some artists show their dissatisfaction with #HumanRightsViolation in China with paintbrushes and music notes. A Canadian painter creates "Genocide Games" to mock Beijing Winter Olympic while a Taiwanese band composes "The Times Looking After the Righteous (#時代看顧正義的人)" to criticise dictatorship.

Both works show support to the belief in democracy and freedom.

The Canadian artist, Ricker Choi, is originally from Hong Kong but emigrated to Canada when he was 13. Yet, he is always concerning the situation in Hong Kong. Ricker has created lots of artworks since 2019, supporting Hong Kong democracy movements.

When the winter Olympics was approaching, his heart was filled with emotions. As a result, he picked up his pen and produced a picture "#GenocideGames".

Ricker said, "China claimed to improve the human rights issues in 2008 #OlympicGames, to be free, democratic and open. In fact, the reality is, however, the opposite. They suppress #Uyghurs and #Tibetans, persecuting Hong Kong, threatening Taiwan. Letting them host the Olympic Games again is the greatest sarcasm."

Ricker Choi's Twitter post:
https://twitter.com/RickerChoi/status/1478919590520438785

Source: RFA #Jan17

https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/lf-01172022161411.html?encoding=traditional

#Genocide

Leaked list reveals details of over 10,000 #Uyghurs detained in China’s #Xinjiang province

//Researchers estimate over one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are being held in a secretive network of detention centres and prisons, ostensibly as part of an anti-terrorism campaign after a series of attacks.

Yet information on the crackdown in Xinjiang region -- and those who have been ensnared by it -- is closely guarded by China's Communist authorities.

The previously unreported database, which has been seen by AFP, lists over 10,000 imprisoned Uyghurs from southwestern Xinjiang's Konasheher county.

A second suspected leaked police database seen by AFP identifies another 18,000 Uyghurs, mostly from Kashgar and Aksu prefectures, detained between 2008 and 2015...//

Read more:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220513-china-database-reveals-the-thousands-detained-in-xinjiang

Source: AFP; Hong Kong Fress Press #May14
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/05/14/leaked-list-reveals-details-of-over-10000-uyghurs-detained-in-chinas-xinjiang-province/

#Chinazi #ConcentrationCamp #Genocide #CCP

#UN rights chief falls under wheels of China's propaganda machine

Beijing's propaganda machine has outwitted the UN human rights chief on her visit to China, campaigners say, leaving the envoy accused of playing a role in whitewashing abuses against minorities in Xinjiang.

"She must have the political courage and integrity to speak out when her words and her visit are being distorted," said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute. "If she is not prepared and able to do so, she should not visit."

Michelle Bachelet's long-planned trip in late May has taken her to the far-western region where Beijing is accused of imprisoning over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, forcibly sterlising women and running labour camps that fuel global supply chains.

The United States and multiple western lawmakers have labelled the actions a "genocide", allegations vehemently denied by China which says it has only conducted necessary security operations to squash extremism and beef up development.

Bachelet has come under fire from rights groups and Uyghurs overseas, who say she has been suckered into a slickly choreographed Communist Party tour including a conversation with President Xi Jinping later portrayed in state media as a mutual endorsement of China's high ideals on rights.

It is "as clear as day" that China has so far used the visit "to promote its own narrative and defend its poor human rights record", said Alkan Akad, a China researcher at Amnesty.

The goal is "to show the world that it can bend a top UN human rights official -- and thus the very concept of human rights -- to its will," said Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch.

London-based Uyghur activist Rahima Mahmut slammed the visit as "window dressing".

"This is not the neutral, independent, unfettered investigation that we were promised," she told AFP.

Instead, Beijing was seeking "a free pass to continue carrying out repression, surveillance, torture and genocide against communities like mine", she added.

The hard details of what Bachelet saw and who she met during the visit have been largely withheld on a trip carried out in a "closed loop" by order of Beijing, ostensibly due to Covid risks.

China has filled the information vacuum, with state media running gleeful readouts of meetings between her and Xi as well as foreign minster Wang Yi.

They reported that Bachelet said she "admired China's efforts and achievements in ... protecting human rights" during the virtual call with Xi.

A spokesperson for Bachelet did not confirm whether the reports were accurate when contacted by AFP, instead saying the UN would not publish readouts of bilateral meetings.

A later, hurried "clarification" by the UN stopped short of denying that she had praised China's rights record. But neither side mentioned Xinjiang in their readouts.

Norway-based Uyghur activist Abduweli Ayup said he was "disappointed" that Bachelet had appeared to allow Beijing to "misinterpret" her words.
"They have already used (her) for propaganda," he told AFP.

Read the full article:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220527-un-rights-chief-falls-under-wheels-of-china-s-propaganda-machine

Source: France 24 #May27

#Uyghur #Genocide #UN #HumanRights #CCPPropaganda