Persecution of Uyghurs in China

State policies and abuses targeting Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang region include mass detention, surveillance, and restrictions on religious and cultural life.

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Xinjiang re-education camps: Detention facilities in Xinjiang where Uyghurs and other minorities have been held for political indoctrination and coercive training. They became a central instrument of the campaign’s mass detention system.
Uyghur diaspora: Uyghur communities living outside their historic homeland, including populations in Central Asia, Turkey, Europe, and North America. Exile has become a major setting for preserving culture and advocating for detained relatives.
Xinjiang: An autonomous region in northwest China, home to Uyghurs and several other ethnic groups. The region’s political status and population are essential context for the policies directed there.
Xinjiang Papers: Leaked internal Chinese documents published in 2019 that reveal official directives and rationales for Xinjiang detention policies. They expose high-level instructions behind the detention system.
Uyghur genocide allegations: Claims that Chinese state actions against Uyghurs constitute genocide under international law. Governments, scholars, and advocates dispute how the evidence fits the legal definition of genocide.
Integrated Joint Operations Platform: A police data system in Xinjiang that flags people for investigation using personal information and surveillance records. It helped turn routine data and alleged signs of religious practice into police scrutiny.
Uyghur language: A Turkic language spoken primarily by Uyghurs in Xinjiang and diaspora communities. Restrictions on Uyghur-language education threaten an everyday vehicle of cultural continuity.
Uyghurs: A Turkic-speaking ethnic group, predominantly Muslim, with a historic homeland centered in Xinjiang. The campaign specifically targets Uyghurs while also affecting other minority groups.
China Cables: Leaked Chinese government documents published in 2019 detailing the operation and security of Xinjiang detention facilities. Their operational guidance supports accounts of coercive confinement and strict camp control.
Crimes against humanity: Certain widespread or systematic attacks against civilians that constitute crimes under international law. The UN human rights office assessed that abuses in Xinjiang may meet this threshold.