Eliminating language, culture & faith: Xi's repression of Uyghurs enters new phase

Nearly a decade after China launched its sweeping crackdown in Xinjiang, rights groups and researchers say Beijing’s campaign against Uyghurs has entered a new phase, one focused less on mass internment camps and more on reshaping identity, language, religion and family life.According to Financial Times, the shift has come even after Chinese authorities claimed in 2019 that detainees held in controversial “re-education” camps had “graduated”.While many camps have since shut down, a vast system of prisons, surveillance networks, boarding schools and labour transfer programmes remains active across the region, according to researchers and human rights organisations.The latest accounts have renewed international concern over China’s treatment of Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim Turkic ethnic minority concentrated in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.The United States declared in 2021 that China’s actions amounted to “genocide”, while a UN report later said the abuses could constitute crimes against humanity.One of the most striking recent accounts concerns Uyghur entrepreneur Ekpar Asat, who was detained in 2016 on charges of “inciting ethnic hatred” after returning from a leadership programme in the US.When his parents were finally allowed to see him in prison in August 2024, it was their first in-person meeting since his disappearance years earlier.According to his sister Rayhan Asat, he had become “unrecognisable” due to severe weight loss. The meeting reportedly lasted less than 10 minutes and was conducted through a glass barrier. The family was allegedly forced to speak in Mandarin Chinese rather than Uyghur and instructed not to show emotion. “Prisoners have to be always happy,” Rayhan told FT.Satellite imagery, local reports and government documents suggest that Xinjiang now has detention capacity for around 627,000 people — equivalent to nearly one in every 40 residents, according to an analysis by FT.The report stated that 579 detention compounds were tracked across the region, with many believed to remain operational despite the closure of several re-education camps.Human rights researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities remain imprisoned.According to figures compiled by the Uyghur Human Rights Project from official Chinese data, more than 578,000 people were prosecuted in Xinjiang between 2017 and 2022. Given China’s conviction rate of over 99.9 per cent, researchers believe many of those sentenced are still in custody.“The camps became the focus internationally. But prisons were always central to the system,” Peter Irwin, co-executive director of the Network for Uyghur Rights, said.A former police officer identified as Zhang Yabo also claimed authorities operated a system of short-term “pre-emptive” detentions based on quotas. People were allegedly detained for possessing “sensitive” items such as religious material, maps or even fitness equipment.China’s foreign ministry denied the allegations, saying the country is “governed by the rule of law” and that vocational training centres were created to combat terrorism and extremism.Researchers and activists say Beijing is increasingly targeting Uyghur identity through the education system.According to FT, boarding schools across Xinjiang have expanded rapidly since 2018, with government documents calling for nearly universal enrolment, including among pre-school children. Researchers estimate that by 2024, around 90 per cent of children in one southern Xinjiang county attended boarding schools.Uyghur activists claim children are discouraged or barred from speaking their native language and are taught almost exclusively in Mandarin.“Young children lose their language skills very quickly,” Uyghur linguist Abduweli Ayup told FT.The report also alleged that Uyghur books have been removed from bookstores, libraries and homes. Ayup claimed books at Xinjiang University were destroyed in 2018.“There used to be 10 different Uyghur-language publishers, but they have gone,” anthropologist Rune Steenberg said.China has rejected accusations of cultural erasure, insisting Uyghur language, culture and religion are protected and promoted in Xinjiang.Labour transfer schemes have become a central feature of Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang. Under these programmes, Uyghurs are relocated to factories across China under state supervision.UN experts cited in the report warned such programmes could amount to forced labour and serve as a tool to “forcibly re-engineer” Uyghur identity.Researchers said workers are subjected to ideological training, police monitoring and restrictions on movement. Companies participating in the schemes reportedly receive state subsidies.Daniel Murphy, a supply chain analyst at Pamir, said that sectors affected include electronics, garments, automotive parts and critical minerals.At the same time, surveillance across Xinjiang has become increasingly sophisticated. Former telecom worker Nureli Abliz claimed AI-powered monitoring systems now scrutinise almost every communication.“The surveillance has this panopticon logic to it,” Steenberg told FT. “You could be watched at any time.”China’s foreign ministry defended the use of surveillance technology, saying it is used to fight crime and strengthen governance “much like any other country”.Chinese authorities continue to frame their Xinjiang policies as necessary for national security, anti-terrorism and poverty alleviation.President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed the need to combat extremism and ensure religions “conform to China’s realities”.Beijing has long linked Uyghur identity and separatist concerns to national security. After violent incidents in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China during the 2000s and early 2010s, the government intensified security measures under Xi’s leadership.The crackdown has drawn strong criticism internationally. The United States, Britain, Canada and several European lawmakers have accused China of committing genocide or crimes against humanity against Uyghurs.China has consistently rejected those accusations as politically motivated and insists its policies have improved stability, reduced poverty and raised living standards in Xinjiang.