Author: UIC

Chinese government announced that it will take strict measures in punishing Uyghurs for contacting foreigners

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on May 28, 2021, stated that in meetings in Aksu prefecture of East Turkestan it was announced that government officials would take urgent action on the telephone communications and that anyone who communicates with foreigners would be severely punished regardless of what was talked about.

Chinese government is urgently relocating people to Urumqi

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on June 1, 2021, stated that recently Chinese government has made it very easy for Uyghurs to relocate from other parts of China to Urumqi city. If someone buys a house, they can relocate the residency of the whole family very quickly to Urumqi. The reason for such an urgent population transfer to Urumqi might have to do with making Urumqi look more populated with Uyghurs to the international investigators.

Chinese government resumes night market in Urumqi on the first day of Ramadan

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on April 13, 2021, stated that the Chinese government had opened a night market on the first day of Ramadan near the Uyghur Medical Hospital in Urumqi. It is noteworthy that the reopening of this long-closed night market happened on the first day of the Ramadan.

Week Ending 10 Apr, 2021
Week Ending 5 June, 2021

1. The Chinese government has implemented a system of whistleblowing in East Turkestan

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on April 3, 2021, stated that after the Chinese Minister of Public Security Zhao Keji had returned from a visit to East Turkestan, the government has resumed in Kashgar, Hotan and Aksu prefectures a policy of house inspection and whistleblowing. To implement this policy, a group of 5 – 6 ordinary people together with a village police enter any house at anytime to carry out a detailed search. They have taken away from some households items such as axes and knives. In addition, led by community cadres, a whistleblowing operation on ordinary people was launched, creating a panicky situation in which no one could trust any one else.

2. The traditional houses of the Uyghurs were largely destroyed

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on April 3, 2021, stated that Uyghur traditional houses with distinct cultural features in the most densely populated areas of the Uyghurs were largely destroyed, with some Uyghurs being compensated 40 square meter of housing for their original 100 square meter houses. Those who are dissatisfied with this policy are threatened with incarceration.

3. Chinese blogger reported to police an Uyghur girl who shared her family story with the blogger

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on April 3, 2021, stated that a Chinese blogger, known as Haruko who has hundreds of thousands of followers on Weibo and has gained prominence among those who protested against foreign companies that had boycotted Xinjiang cotton due to the Uyghur forced labor, has claimed that the foreign press reporting of the ongoing crime against humanity in East Turkestan was the fabrication of US government. One of the blogger’s followers was an Uyghur girl who trusted the Chinese blogger and told the blogger her family story that her father and brothers had been detained. The Chinese blogger cried when he heard this story and asked her what was going on in East Turkestan. Then, the Chinese blogger has been accused of being an Uyghur sympathizer and a traitor by his followers after he shared his views on the possibility that some foreign reports may have some basis. The Chinese blogger, who could not escape the vicious online attacks despite apologizing to his followers, finally exposed the Uyghur girl he was talking to and reported her to the police.

1. Chinese government launches new strike hard operation in East Turkestan

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on March 31, 2021, stated that Chinese Minister of Public Security Zhao Keji was visiting in East Turkestan at a time when democracies around the world were intensifying their condemnation of China’s genocide against the Uyghurs. From March 19 to 24 he visited places such as Urumqi, Turpan and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. No Uyghurs were involved in his visit. China has resorted to vengeful tactics in the face of US and European embargoes, with the main goal of preventing Uyghur people from rising up because of the European and American sanctions. China has also decided to launch a 100-day rigorous investigation and brainwashing campaign from April 1 to crack down on those who has slipped out from the previous roundup operations. In doing so, China wants to send a message to the world that it will not be afraid of anyone in its genocidal actions and will be able to cope with any pressure.

2. Uyghur students detained for using Instagram

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on March 31, 2021, stated that on March 26, 2021, the Xinjiang University police detained the following students for using Instagram: from the Law Institute of Xinjiang University’ s South campus, Mevlan Tursun, Ilminur Hassan, Zubayda Tahir, and from the Institute of Economic Management, Nadiye Erkin, Mansur Adil, Arafat Miradil and Qadirye Qutluq. As of March 29, their whereabouts were unknown.

3. Nikah is completely forbidden in Uyghur weddings

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on March 31, 2021, stated that in East Turkestan, nikah was completely banned in weddings. Funeral prayers are also prohibited for those who are employed by the Chinese government, students, party members, low- income earners who depends on social assistance programs, and retirees. Although demolition of mosques has now ceased, mosques in towns and villages are in a state of total lockdown and have not yet been reopened under the pretext of the Chinese virus.

4. The 1st Online Conference on how to prevent Ramadan activities was held in Urumqi
A message to the Uyghur Information Center on March 31, 2021, stated that the first online conference

on Ramadan Correction and Prevention was held at the headquarters of the Political Legal Committee of the Chinese Party Committee Building in Urumqi on March 27. The discussion topics included were how to prevent muslims from fasting in various cities, how to prevent gatherings of more than three people in any form, and arranging regular lunches in rural areas, and holding various competitions during Ramadan, e.g., dog, chicken and other animal fights, tug-of-war, beer-drinking competitions.

5. The target of the strike-hard campaign is Uyghurs workers in the law enforcement sectors

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on April 1, 2021, stated that Chinese government had launched another strike-hard campaign in Hotan and Kashgar before and during the period when ambassadors from Islamic countries were visiting Urumqi, and the object of the crackdown this time around was Uyghur people in the legal field. It is believed that the time has come for the government to get rid off Uyghur people who worked in the law enforcement sectors who know about the details of camps and punishment procedures. In this regard, the situation in Hotan and Kashgar has become very tense.

6. Propaganda department in action to whitewash china’s genocidal crime in east Turkistan

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on April 1, 2021, stated that the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Uyghur Autonomous Region Party Committee held a provincial Departmental level meeting on March 30 and 31 with the participation of a deputy chairman and a deputy secretary of the autonomous region. In the meeting, the Chinese government officials stated that they found themselves on tenter hooks because of the international community’s plan to boycott the Winter Olympics in China and the condemnation of the genocide against the Uyghurs. The meeting mainly focused on two issues. The first is the release of a film about the so-called crimes of Uyghur cadres at the Departmental level to overthrow the government, with Sattar Sawut, a former head of the Provincial Department of Education, as an example. China planned to air the film on April 2 via its international Information channel CGTN in order to justify its genocide against the Uyghurs. The second issue discussed was the political task assigned to Uyghur cadres, from the provincial department level to the village level, who must produce and disseminate propaganda materials praising China’s Uyghur policy. Uyghur cadres are tasked with making and distributing films or promotional materials that highlight the prosperities brought to the Uyghurs by the government. And these promotional activities must be based on the day-to-day work at their place of

residence. How well they perform on these assignment is closely linked to their future and the future of their children.

1. The Chinese government has relaunched the so-called re-education— the brainwashing operation— in East Turkestan

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on March 23, 2021 stated that the Chinese government has resumed its re-education and brainwashing campaign in East Turkestan following the reaction of Uyghurs to the disappearance of a child in Ili Prefecture and the recovery of child’s dead body without the internal organs. Uyghurs between the ages of 15 and 60 have been forced to take part in political studies for a month. A large scale arrest of Uyghurs has begun again in Ili Prefecture on March 6, 2021. In other urban counties of East Turkistan, compulsory registration for one month of political study has been carried out. High school and college students and Uyghur civil servants are not included in this registration. In order for the administration to carry out the process safely, the government cancelled all the vacations for the people, as did from 2017 to 2020 (until the spread of the Chinese virus). Now people have been returned to the previous routine of working for 8 hours on the first day and 24 hours on the second day (by staying in the office for the whole day).

2. Chinese Governement raises wages for workers in occupied East Turkestan

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on March 23, 2021 stated that the Chinese government announced on March 2, 2021, that the wages of all government employees and teachers are set to raise. However, retirees did not get the raise.. This wage increase, with a maximum of RMB 900 per month, has been attributed to the fact that the Han Chinese in East Turkestan had been expressing strong dissatisfaction with China’s policies in the region – such as endless restrictions, especially with the pretext of the pandemic, mask-wearing mandates (not enforced in inner provinces of China), and once a week health checks. The pay raise is retroactive, with an effective date of January 1, 2021, and the three month cumulative raise were paid on March 9, 2021.

3. Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang recently paid a visit to East Turkestan

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on March 23, 2021 stated that Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang had recently visited East Turkestan and pretended to be warm when he met with Uyghurs. When meeting with the Uyghurs, he stressed that the people of the region have made great contribution to the nationwide fight against the pandemic and that the central government will not forget their efforts. The visit may be linked to China’s preparations to whitewash the criminal facts of the genocide in East Turkestan and to provide a false platform for international visitors. The government has now removed the barricades in Urumqi, explaining that it did so in order to become a civilized city.

4. Uyghur children under the age of 10 have started talking in only Chinese language in their communities

A message to the Uyghur Information Center on March 23, 2021 stated that Uyghur children under the age of 10 have started speaking only in Chinese when they play in their Uyghur community. If the kids’ parents or relatives speak in Uyghur to them, they would respond in Chinese, and the kids even demand their parents to speak in Chinese since they couldn’t understand some Uyghur words. How evil and how effective China’s repression has been since 2016 can be seen from those innocent young Uyghur kids’ action.