{"id":123605,"date":"2018-12-10T12:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T12:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=123605"},"modified":"2018-12-17T09:49:38","modified_gmt":"2018-12-17T09:49:38","slug":"global-coalition-of-scholars-calls-for-added-pressure-on-china-over-uygur-internment-camps-in-xinjiang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2018\/12\/global-coalition-of-scholars-calls-for-added-pressure-on-china-over-uygur-internment-camps-in-xinjiang\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Coalition of Scholars Calls for Added Pressure on China over Uygur Internment Camps in Xinjiang"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><em>A statement delivered on behalf of 278 academics from 26 countries called for the release of detainees and an end to China\u2019s campaign against Muslim minorities<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The group also included an appeal to countries engaged in China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_123606\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123606\" class=\"wp-image-123606\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp-1024x569.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp-1024x569.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp-300x167.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp-768x427.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-123606\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Re-education camps in China&#8217;s &#8216;no-rights zone&#8217; for Muslims.<br \/>| Xinjiang Explainer | SupChina<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>27 Nov 2018 &#8211;<\/em>A global coalition of nearly 300 scholars on Monday [26 Nov] called on Beijing to abolish its \u201ctransformation through education\u201d campaign against China\u2019s ethnic Uygur population, and appealed for increased diplomatic and legislative pressure on the Chinese government over the matter.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/concernedscholars.home.blog\/2018\/11\/26\/the-journey-begins\/\" >statement<\/a> delivered on behalf of 278 academics from 26 countries, the group of self-titled \u201cconcerned scholars\u201d said immediate action was needed \u201cto prevent setting negative future precedents regarding the acceptability of any state\u2019s complete repression of a segment of its population, especially on the basis of ethnicity or religion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Up to 1 million ethnic Uygurs, Kazakhs and members of other largely Muslim ethnic groups are reported to be detained in extrajudicial internment camps in northwestern China\u2019s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a crackdown that began in early 2017.<\/p>\n<p>After scrutiny by the United Nations and other international bodies, official statements from Chinese authorities have recently shifted from denial to justification, arguing that re-education is needed to combat the spread of extremist religious ideology and terrorism.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/diplomacy\/article\/2163939\/speaking-out-uygurs-united-states-break-silence-chinas\" >Speaking out: Uygurs in US break silence on China\u2019s crackdown<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The scholars\u2019 call for action \u2013 which also included an appeal for countries engaged in China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative to make their involvement in the infrastructural development programme contingent on the abolition of mass internment camps \u2014 comes amid mounting evidence that Beijing is expanding its security crackdown in Xinjiang.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_123607\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp2.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123607\" class=\"wp-image-123607\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"311\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp2.jpeg 410w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp2-300x187.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-123607\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Uygur man watches as a truck carrying paramilitary policemen passes by in Xinjiang. Photo: Reuters<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Speaking at a press conference convened at the National Press Club in Washington, Sean Roberts, director of George Washington University\u2019s International Development Studies Program, said: \u201cWe felt it critical for the scholarly community to also take a stance on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Members of the coalition came from a variety of fields, including China studies, Central Asian studies and Islamic studies, said Roberts, an associate professor of international affairs.<\/p>\n<p>Referring to the Chinese president and to Chen Quanguo, the new Communist Party chief in Xinjiang, the scholars\u2019 statement said: \u201cWe call on states and institutions to issue formal statements demanding that Xi Jinping and Chen Quanguo immediately abolish the \u2018transformation through education\u2019 detention system and release all Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and other detainees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The petition also included demands on governments around the world to levy economic sanctions on Chinese officials and firms \u2013 both Chinese and foreign \u2013 that are engaged in the provision of technology being used in the execution of the government\u2019s security policies.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_123608\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp3.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123608\" class=\"wp-image-123608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp3.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp3.jpeg 780w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp3-300x168.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp3-768x431.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-123608\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Chinese paramilitary policeman watches as an ethnic Uyghur family walks.<br \/>CNN.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Such action is already under consideration by the US Congress, after the introduction of bipartisan legislation this month.<\/p>\n<p>The bill, the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cecc.gov\/sites\/chinacommission.house.gov\/files\/documents\/Xinjiang%20Uyghur%20Human%20Rights%20Act.pdf\" >Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2018<\/a>, would commit the US government to pursuing economic sanctions against a number of Chinese officials, including Chen, who is widely considered to be the driving force behind the crackdown on the region\u2019s Uygur, Kazakh and other largely Muslim ethnic groups.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/politics\/article\/2173196\/china-may-face-us-sanctions-over-uygur-camps-xinjiang\" >China could face US punishment over Xinjiang Uygur camps under new bill<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>That legislation was welcomed by Mihrigul Tursun, a Uygur woman invited to speak at Monday\u2019s press conference to share her experience of being held at a mass internment camp.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking through a translator, Tursun, 29, recounted her ordeal of a three-month detention this year, during which she said she was beaten and tortured, forced to sing songs in Mandarin professing loyalty to the Chinese president and kept in a cell with more than 60 other women, nine of whom she said died during the time she was interned. She said she was released in April after being made to sign a statement vowing that she would \u201cnever do anything to harm China\u201d and that the police never interrogated or tortured her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy people look to the United States as the beacon of hope for the oppressed people around the world,\u201d said Tursun, who fled to Egypt after her release and arrived in the US in September. \u201cI hope that the US will lead the world community to condemn China\u2019s gross violations of universally recognised human rights\u201d.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_123609\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp4.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123609\" class=\"wp-image-123609\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp4.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp4-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/reeducation-center-xinjiang-Uygur-internment-camp4-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-123609\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">China forcing Uyghur Muslims into &#8216;re-education camps&#8217;. Hindustan Times<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Beyond pressure from the international community, the group of scholars also called for heightened protection of Uygurs living outside of China who may be subject to surveillance or coercion by Chinese authorities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[We] urge relevant states and institutions where [Uygur] communities reside to make the protection of Uyghurs a matter of priority in their diplomatic relations with Beijing,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing has previously bristled at any criticism of its policies in Xinjiang, frequently invoking its own non-interventionist approach to international relations as a shield from scrutiny.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/policies-politics\/article\/2029351\/how-new-xinjiang-party-boss-became-front-runner-race-be\" >How new Xinjiang party boss became front runner in race to be one of China\u2019s most powerful men<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But representatives of the scholars\u2019 coalition expressed confidence that pressure from the academic community could act as a powerful force in attempts to elicit a shift in the Chinese government\u2019s position.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe kind of lobbying we\u2019re doing, talking to Congress, talking to the media and getting this out into the larger discourse, I think it is making a difference\u201d, said Darren Byler, a lecturer in the anthropology department at the University of Washington in Seattle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe number of people that have signed on to this statement is something that would have been unimaginable just one or two years ago\u201d, said Byler, who cited academics\u2019 involvement in pushing back against South Africa\u2019s apartheid policies as an example of how the scholarly community could effectively exert public pressure on governments.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/politics\/article\/2167893\/china-legalises-use-re-education-camps-religious-extremists\" >China changes law to recognise &#8216;re-education camps&#8217; in Xinjiang<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Such pressure is crucial at a time when Beijing is seeking to deepen connections with trading and strategic partners around the world and elevate China\u2019s standing in the global community, said Michael Clarke, an associate professor at the Australian National University\u2019s College of Asia and the Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing \u201cwants respect from the rest of the world, for its position, for its weight in global affairs\u201d, Clarke said. \u201cThe international community needs to demonstrate to Beijing that it will not actually get that while it\u2019s doing this to a significant portion of its own citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>__________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Owen-Churchill.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-123610 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Owen-Churchill-e1544018484639.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><em>Owen Churchill joined the <\/em>Post<em> as US correspondent in 2018 after several years working as a reporter and editor in China. He covers US-China relations, trade, and wider issues concerning China&#8217;s global presence. A co-founder of the Shanghai-based news outlet <\/em>Sixth Tone<em>, he is an alumnus of London\u2019s<\/em><em> School of Oriental and African Studies and Fudan University in Shanghai.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article appeared in the <\/em>South China Morning Post<em> print edition as: Scholars tell Beijing to abolish Uygur internment policy.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/china\/politics\/article\/2175120\/global-coalition-scholars-calls-added-pressure-china-over-uygur\" >Go to Original \u2013 scmp.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2022\tA statement delivered on behalf of 278 academics from 26 countries called for the release of detainees and an end to China\u2019s campaign against Muslim minorities<br \/>\n\u2022\tThe group also included an appeal to countries engaged in China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":123606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[197,224,56,180,221,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-special-feature","category-human-rights","category-asia-pacific","category-brics","category-indigenous-rights","category-religion-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}