May 17, 2023

China continues crackdown on Uyghurs with phone surveillance

topic:	Political violence
located:	China
editor:	Wincy Ng

An investigation conducted by Human Rights Watch (HRW) reveals that the Chinese police had flagged residents of Xinjiang, including Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims, for interrogation after collecting a list of 50,000 multimedia files from them, which they deemed as "violent and terrorist" content. The investigation raised concerns about the violation of Uyghurs' rights through mass surveillance and the overly broad and vague definition of "terrorism" and "extremism." 

The study also found that between 2017 to 2018, nearly 11 million searches of a total of 1.2 million mobile phones were conducted by police in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital city. HRW reveals that a 52GB database was first leaked to The Intercept in 2019, which contained mediafiles that the Chinese authorities labelled as violent content. Having investigated 1000 files, Human Rights Watch discovered that 57 percent are common Islamic religious materials, such as the Quran, while only 15 percent of the content is about violence.

“The Chinese government outrageously yet dangerously conflates Islam with violent extremism to justify its abhorrent abuses against Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang,”  stated Maya Wang, the acting China director at Human Rights Watch.

Following the Urumqi unrest and protest in 2008, the authorities in Xinjiang have made efforts to combat terrorism and extremism in the region. However, they have been accused of adopting repressive measures against Uyghurs, leading to mounting concerns about human rights violations. There are disputes about whether Uyghurs are being forced to join ‘re-education camps’ and are being subject to arbitrary detention, among other issues.

The issue has garnered attention from international organisations and governments, who have condemned the unjust treatment of Uyghurs in China. In 2021, for example, international fashion and retail companies were called on to stop sourcing cotton from Xinjiang over worries of forced labour of Uyghur people. 

Despite Beijing's denial of the United Nations Human Rights Council's report, which concluded that "serious human rights violations" had been committed against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim communities, the debate on forced labour in China continues.

The Chinese fast-fashion brand Shein has been accused of using underpaid and forced labour. In response to these allegations, the company stated that it has "zero tolerance for forced labour" and is committed to respecting human rights and following local laws and regulations in each market in which it operates.

Striving to be a voice for Uyghurs in East Turkestan and abroad, the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), an independent organisation founded in 2004,  provides a platform for Uyghurs to be heard internationally. Their work also includes the assistance of diaspora members to conduct research with the use of verified sources, fostering new generations of Uyghur human rights defenders. The organisation is committed to supporting survivors, family members of victims, and refugees. 

Image by Kuzzat Altay

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