“This is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The State Department rightly said this is the largest incarceration of any ethnic minority since the Holocaust.”~ Nury Turkel, a leader of the Uyghur community in the United States and a newly appointed member of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom
Human Rights are inalienable rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply for being human. If one asks for the DNA of human rights - ‘the instinct to reach out’ would probably fit well. The Human Rights norm contained in international treaties and domestic legal instruments creates standards that we regard to be necessary and important for human dignity and for the flourishing of individual lives. Human Rights discourse has been expanding and also influencing policies in a wide range of areas from poverty alleviation to human trafficking, but, this doesn’t mean we don’t have any violations of Human Rights. Human Rights Violations can be found where it is not defined or not implemented or its standards are not enforced on a secure footing. But, how do we know there are violations of Human Rights? Application to individual circumstances is not obvious. Human Rights Violations in China is a suitable example to understand a systematic crackdown on dissent. The Xinjiang conflict, also known as Uyghur–Chinese conflict is an example.
Uyghurs are Turkic-speaking minority ethnic group originating from and culturally connected with the general region of central and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China. Uyghurs are distinct in ethnic, geography and history. The Xinjiang region which has Chinese-derived name, meaning ‘new territory or new frontier’, formerly consisted of two main historically, geographically, and ethnically distinguished names - Dzungaria North of the Tianshan Mountains and the Tarim Basin South of the Tianshan Mountains, currently inhabited by the Uyghurs. Chinese conquests throughout history have been successful in this region. Similarly, the modern invasion in this region continues based on various interests by the Chinese Regime. This region is rich in natural resources and geographically well suited for various projects which we can consider to be the base interests of the regime in this region. Nonetheless, it has greater goals or aims. China’s violations of Human Rights have caught the world’s attention in general if not largely. Questions raised on accounts of Uyghur Crisis have been completely denied by the spokespersons of the Regime. Vox in its article titled “China’s brutal crackdown on the Uighur Muslim minority, explained” dated Nov. 6, 2018, noted ‘Western governments, including those in Europe, the United States, and Canada, had the harshest words for China. The United States chargé d’affaires Mark Cassayre demanded that China “abolish all forms of arbitrary detention” for Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, and that China release the “possibly millions” of individuals detained there. China’s Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng dismissed these charges and other comments as “politically driven accusations from a few countries that are fraught with biases.’
China has been exercising the second generation human rights such as right to food, shelter and development but it has no secure footing with regard to first generation human rights i.e. freedom of expression, right to vote etc. Ilham Tohti, an Uyghur Economist, who is also an Uyghur Rights Activist - in 2014 was convicted of fanning ethnic hatred advocating violence and instigating terror through his classroom teaching and a website he maintained on issues affecting Uighurs, a Muslim minority that mainly live in China’s western region of Xinjiang. He is under life imprisonment. China has turned its ears deaf even on countless requests and voices on the release of Tohti. Tohti was awarded the 2019 Sakharov Prize.
Uyghurs are taken into detention/ concentration camps with a promising reason of ‘providing jobs or helping them’ by the regime. The Chinese government has insisted on questions on detention camps as ‘vocational centres.’ Whereas a documentary by VICE news titled “China’s Vanishing Muslims: Undercover In The Most Dystopian Place In The World”, shows the reality of the region. The most horrifying thing for any ethnic group or distinct community is ‘losing their culture and language’. China has been successfully operating Re-education centres for re-educating the children of Uyghurs, also other ethnic minorities from the region. Wearing of Hijabs or long kurtis or signs of crescent and star, having a beard etc. are regarded unlawful. There are recorded news on how a lady wearing a long kurti like dress is cut short like a tee-shirt on the spot for the very reason that ‘it shows Muslim dressing.’ Inter-ethnic marriages are done by giving the reward to the Han Chinese men who marry Uyghur women. How many violations of Human Rights can we ignore here?
Voices from across the globe have been rising against the evil regime of China yet it stands unmoved in pushing on its agendas. China, having been economically progressive, has its own ‘Spades in the Game” and that is- the seats and power that stand reserved in major international bodies such as being a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). To bring China accountable for its evil doings, things have to work out internationally as well. Many ask, ‘What can we do sitting home?’ Well, we can raise our voice and educate people about the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities pressed under by the Chinese Regime. Educating oneself and others around us is also a help to the community.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Dr Aniruddha Babar, Nisha Dahiya and Meren. For feedback or comments please email: dot@tetsocollege.org
