China: Uygar camps in Xinjiang converted into formal prisons, prisoners given long sentences

Uyghur Camps in Xinjiang:  Many Uyghur camps in Xinjiang, China, have been converted into formal prisons. The prisoners here have been given long prison sentences. According to the US magazine Foreign Affairs, many of the detainees have been transferred from camps to factories in Xinjiang or other parts of the country. 

Some Uyghur families abroad have reported that their relatives have returned home but are under house arrest. Under the guise of a poverty alleviation campaign, Beijing is forcing thousands of rural Uyghurs out of their villages and into factories.

Restrictions on Uyghur language and Islamic practices

The Communist Party of China (CCP) has criticized and banned the use of the Uyghur language and Islamic practices. Mosques and graveyards have been vandalised. History has been rewritten to deny Uyghur culture and its uniqueness. Also, Uyghur literature has been removed from the textbooks.

Digital surveillance proved effective

According to Foreign Affairs, the control infrastructure, intrusive policing, military patrols and checkpoints that resembled a war zone in southern Xinjiang a few years ago are now less visible.

This is because digital surveillance systems based on other tools, including mobile phones, facial recognition, biometric databases, QR codes and geo-locators that identify populations, have proven to be equally effective in monitoring and controlling local residents. 

Uygar cannot go out of China

Jamal, a Uyghur man, was recently interviewed with the Washington DC-based radio network Voice of America (VOA). In this, Jamal said that the Chinese policy on passports in Xinjiang is that no one should be allowed to cross the border.

Jamal clarified in the interview that China does not issue new passports to Uighurs, the Geneva Daily reported. He said that Uighurs do not speak to the media even after leaving China for fear of retaliation by Chinese officials. According to Jamal, the Chinese authorities pressured him to return the passport because his wife is a foreigner.

Just passport and visa are not enough for Uighurs

Jamal said any Uyghur passport holder has to present consent documents to provincial authorities at any customs post in China. It is not necessary for a Uyghur to have a valid Chinese passport and visa to visit a particular country. If he does not have the consent document of the government, the customs will not allow him to cross the border.