Xinjiang, officially named the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is a remote region in China's far west.
It is home to about 11 million Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority that speak a language closely related to Turkish and have their own distinct culture.
Rich in natural resources, especially oil and natural gas, the region has seen a large-scale influx of the country's majority Han population in recent decades, amid a concerted effort by the government to develop the region's economy.
Historically, Uyghurs had been the majority in the region. Now, they account for just under half of Xinjiang's total population, and many of them live in the southern, rural part of the region.
Xinjiang is also geographically strategic for Beijing. It is China's gateway to Central Asia, bordering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, as well as Mongolia and Russia in the north and Pakistan and India in the south.
What is happening there?
The US State Department estimates that more than one million Uyghurs, as well as members from other Muslim minority groups, have been detained in a sprawling network of internment camps in Xinjiang, where they are reportedly "subjected to torture, cruel and inhumane treatment such as physical and sexual abuse, forced labor, and death."
Former detainees have told CNN they experienced political indoctrination and abuse inside the camps, such as food and sleep deprivation and forced injections.
Initially, Beijing flatly denied the existence of the camps. But it later claimed the facilities are voluntary "vocational training centers" where people learn job skills, Chinese language and laws. The government now insists that the camps are necessary for preventing religious extremism and terrorism. Leaked Chinese government documents, however, revealed people can be sent to a detention facility for simply "wearing a veil" or growing "a long beard."
The documents, together with other first-hand reports, paint an alarming picture of what appears to be a strategic campaign by Beijing to strip Uyghurs of their cultural and religious identity and suppress behavior considered to be unpatriotic.
The Chinese government has challenged the authenticity of leaked records.
The suppression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang has also seen an increase in mass surveillance throughout the region.
When CNN traveled through Xinjiang in 2019, there were surveillance cameras about every 150 feet, monitoring people's faces and daily routines. Mobile police checkpoints popped up at random throughout the region, leading to long lines on public roads. At the checkpoints, and sometimes randomly on the street, police officers stopped people to ask for their ID cards and occasionally demanded to plug unidentified electronic devices into cellphones to scan them without explanation.
It is home to about 11 million Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority that speak a language closely related to Turkish and have their own distinct culture.
Rich in natural resources, especially oil and natural gas, the region has seen a large-scale influx of the country's majority Han population in recent decades, amid a concerted effort by the government to develop the region's economy.
Historically, Uyghurs had been the majority in the region. Now, they account for just under half of Xinjiang's total population, and many of them live in the southern, rural part of the region.
Xinjiang is also geographically strategic for Beijing. It is China's gateway to Central Asia, bordering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, as well as Mongolia and Russia in the north and Pakistan and India in the south.
What is happening there?
The US State Department estimates that more than one million Uyghurs, as well as members from other Muslim minority groups, have been detained in a sprawling network of internment camps in Xinjiang, where they are reportedly "subjected to torture, cruel and inhumane treatment such as physical and sexual abuse, forced labor, and death."
Former detainees have told CNN they experienced political indoctrination and abuse inside the camps, such as food and sleep deprivation and forced injections.
Initially, Beijing flatly denied the existence of the camps. But it later claimed the facilities are voluntary "vocational training centers" where people learn job skills, Chinese language and laws. The government now insists that the camps are necessary for preventing religious extremism and terrorism. Leaked Chinese government documents, however, revealed people can be sent to a detention facility for simply "wearing a veil" or growing "a long beard."
The documents, together with other first-hand reports, paint an alarming picture of what appears to be a strategic campaign by Beijing to strip Uyghurs of their cultural and religious identity and suppress behavior considered to be unpatriotic.
The Chinese government has challenged the authenticity of leaked records.
The suppression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang has also seen an increase in mass surveillance throughout the region.
When CNN traveled through Xinjiang in 2019, there were surveillance cameras about every 150 feet, monitoring people's faces and daily routines. Mobile police checkpoints popped up at random throughout the region, leading to long lines on public roads. At the checkpoints, and sometimes randomly on the street, police officers stopped people to ask for their ID cards and occasionally demanded to plug unidentified electronic devices into cellphones to scan them without explanation.
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