AI urges Beijing to end ‘systematic repression’ against Muslims

Amnesty International (AI) in a report on Monday urged the Chinese government to end the “brainwashing” of nearly one million Muslims held in “re-education” camps in the Xinjiang Uighur region.

Amnesty International (AI) in a report on Monday urged the Chinese government to end the “brainwashing” of nearly one million Muslims held in “re-education” camps in the Xinjiang Uighur region.

In the past year, the government has intensified its campaign of mass internment, intrusive surveillance, political indoctrination and forced cultural assimilation against the region’s Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, according to the report.

The campaign prohibits any display of religious and cultural affiliation, including growing an “abnormal” beard, wearing a veil or headscarf, regular prayer, fasting or avoidance of alcohol, or possessing books or articles about Islam or Uighur culture as Chinese authorities consider them “extremist” behavior, Efe news reported.

It is estimated that currently nearly one million Muslims are being held by the authorities in re-education camps, without the right to trial, access to lawyers or contact with family members, the report said.