{"id":211634,"date":"2019-02-01T22:20:51","date_gmt":"2019-02-02T06:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=211634"},"modified":"2019-02-01T22:20:51","modified_gmt":"2019-02-02T06:20:51","slug":"eu-delegation-visits-xinjiang-as-abuses-continue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2019\/02\/eu-delegation-visits-xinjiang-as-abuses-continue\/","title":{"rendered":"EU Delegation Visits Xinjiang as Abuses Continue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid ongoing reports of <\/span>forced labor<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>abuse, and even death<\/span><\/a> within <\/span>Xinjiang<\/span><\/a>\u2019s network of \u201cre-education\u201d camps\u2014which have held between <\/span>800,000 and two million<\/span><\/a> Turkic <\/span>Muslims<\/span><\/a>\u2014<\/span>an EU delegation was granted rare supervised access to Urumqi and Kashgar, marking the first time a multinational body was allowed in<\/strong><\/a> since China attempted to <\/span>legally justify the camps\u2019 existence<\/span><\/a>. In preparation for the visit<\/span>, reports emerged that Xinjiang authorities were <\/span>removing barbed wire and metal window bars<\/span><\/a> from camp facilities, relocating detainees, and instructing residents how to respond to potential international monitors. For AFP, Damon Wake reports: <\/span><\/p>\n

[The visit] followed another trip last month, also led by the Chinese government, by diplomats from Russia and 11 Asian countries, most with large Muslim populations.<\/span><\/p>\n

[…] “Whilst the sites that were visited were carefully selected by the authorities to support China’s official narrative, the visit provided useful insight which complements other sources of information (including reports by UN bodies, international media, academic researchers, and NGOs),” the EU official said.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Many of these sources provide compelling, and mutually consistent, evidence of major and systematic human rights violations in Xinjiang.”<\/span><\/p>\n

[…] The officials got the impression that the Chinese authorities had carefully curated the trip to try to give a good impression — a school they visited had been freshly painted and it appeared that surveillance cameras had been removed.<\/span><\/p>\n

They were left with the impression that the things said by the people they talked to were “scripted”. [<\/span>Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The delegation\u2019s visit coincided with the <\/span>death of an otherwise healthy middle-aged Uyghur businessman in an Atush City camp<\/strong><\/a>. RFA reports: <\/span><\/p>\n

According to the post, which was made by an anonymous source claiming to be a fellow businessman from Atush, Memet was \u201cmartyred\u201d in detention, and his family was informed about his death on Dec. 27 or 28, while \u201c100 to 200 armed police officers encircled the neighbourhood to contain any emotional disturbance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It said that Memet\u2019s body was never turned over to his family, possibly because he \u201csuffered severe torture and was cremated afterwards\u201d or \u201chis internal organs were harvested for transplants,\u201d and his relatives were prevented from holding a prayer service in the absence of performing funerary rights for his remains.<\/span><\/p>\n

[…] RFA also contacted two ruling Communist Party cadres from Azghan, one of whom said he believed Memet was taken to a re-education camp because he \u201csent his children for religious studies\u201d with a local cleric around a decade earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

[…] The second cadre said Weli Memet was \u201conce strong and healthy,\u201d but had become \u201cthin and pale\u201d before he died, due to poor food and conditions at the camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFive or six people have already died\u201d at local camps, he added, without providing further details. [<\/span>Source<\/strong><\/a>] <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Documenting Oppression Against Muslims (DOAM) has also released video footage of a Kazakh man reported to be recently released from a camp:<\/p>\n

\n

Newly-released #Kazakh<\/a> man from a concentration camp in #EastTurkestan<\/a> could barely walk by himself. He doesn't recognise anyone except his family & gets frightened by little movement of people around him. According to his relatives, he was forced-fed with unknown medications. pic.twitter.com\/sR804VaIXU<\/a><\/p>\n

— DOAM (@doamuslims) January 24, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n