Up To 1Mln Ethnic Uyghurs Held In 'Re-Education Camps' In China's Xinjiang Province - UN

Up to 1Mln Ethnic Uyghurs Held in 'Re-Education Camps' in China's Xinjiang Province - UN

Up to one million members of the Uyghur ethnic minority have been held in so-called re-education camps in China's northwestern Xinjiang province for their expression of Muslim culture, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said Thursday.

GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th August, 2018) Up to one million members of the Uyghur ethnic minority have been held in so-called re-education camps in China's northwestern Xinjiang province for their expression of Muslim culture, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said Thursday.

In its report on the human rights situation in China, CERD pointed to numerous reports about Uyghurs being held incommunicado without charges or trial for long periods under the pretext of fighting terrorism and religious extremism.

"The Committee regrets that there is no official data on how many people are in long-term detention or who have been forced to spend varying periods in political 're-education camps' for even nonthreatening expressions of Muslim ethno-religious culture like daily greetings. Estimates about them range from tens of thousands to upwards of a million," the report read.

The United Nations and human rights groups have alleged the existence of such extralegal internment camps in Xinjiang set up to combat extremism and terrorism and holding a large number of Uyghurs, other Muslims and ethnic minorities. Chinese authorities staunchly deny the existence of such camps, stating that Uyghurs and Xinjiang residents enjoy the same rights as all other citizens of China.

CERD also pointed to the existence of "vocational training centers" for people accused of committing minor offenses in Xinjiang.

The committee called on Beijing to release everyone detained in the province and give compensation to individuals who were wrongfully held in custody.

The Uyghurs have sought independence from China in the past. The Xinjiang province, which they currently populate, has seen anti-government insurgent violence, which subsequently prompted the central authorities to boost security measures in the area. The situation has resulted in many Uyghurs fleeing to nearby Muslim-majority countries, including Afghanistan and Turkey, and authorities accusing them of plotting attacks on Chinese territory.

Human rights groups have repeatedly called on Beijing to end arbitrary detentions of Uyghurs and stop violating their rights.