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Uyghur Internment
As part of China's "War on Terror", the nation took a dramatic escalation in 2017 with the start of internment camps located in Xinjiang, recognized officially by the People's Republic of China as "Vocational Education and Training Programs."
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The Chinese have forced hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities into the camps. These individuals are primarily military-aged males who were imprisoned under the pretense that they may strike be part of Islamic extremist groups who intend to attack China. Essentially, the Uyghurs are being treated as guilty until proven innocent.
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The video to the side shows a leaked video of the mass transportation of Uyghur Muslims to these internment camps. Blindfolded, in chains, and surrounded by armed guards, these individuals are not being treated as people the Chinese are trying to reform, but rather criminals.
The official statement of the Chinese Communist Party is that they are maintaining these camps because they believe the Uyghurs hold the potential for extremism and are adamant of separatism. Through these camps, the Chinese believe they can indoctrinate the youth into the ideals of China and imprint loyalty into them, effectively eliminating potential threats to China's territorial and political integrity.
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Due to Chinese state censorship, information inside the internment camps remains limited. However, according to leaked documents and escapees, the conditions inside the camps resemble those of a dystopian novel. In a bid to eliminate potential threats to China, directors of these facilities are forcing detainees to pledge loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party and renounce Islam, an attempt to redirect loyalty and faith from the Uyghur's religious culture to a political focal point as other Chinese citizens have been raised to prioritize. In addition, the Chinese have also implemented other methods of Sinicization including learning Mandarin and singing Communist songs of praise. Moreover, in order to enforce these changes, they have installed cameras and microphones to monitor activity, very much similar to prisons. Reports of beatings, sexual abuse, interrogation, and psychological torment.
In addition to these reports from Uyghurs, news organizations have sent reporters to examine the camps at the liberty of the Chinese Communist Party. Upon arriving to examine the facilities, reporters only have access to specially selected camps that are model camps China wishes to show the world. In addition, these camps received major renovations before reporters arrived as exercise yards resembling prisons are now sports courts and watchtowers were removed to give a more peaceful appearance.
In the excerpt video of a look inside these Uyghur camps, it is evident the presented camps are merely shows, a farce to the reality of the internment camps. Questions asked by reporters are selectively answered and carefully crafted to paint the camps in a positive light. Despite the light atmosphere the officials try to present inside the camp, the forced smiles and "voluntary" singing of communist party songs is enough to tell all.
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