Written by Nithin Pillai
Image source: Getty Images
What is the Uighur issue?
Since 2014 according to international sources there are estimates that approximately one million Uighurs who are a Turkish ethnic group in China have been held in “political education camps “(Charbonneau). Additionally, there are claims of destruction of Uighur Heritage in China. As per documented evidence the atrocities in concern are taking place in the Xinjiang which is in North Western China. In the camps itself there are cases of forced labour, political indoctrination, separation etc. There are instances of forced sterilisation for the purpose of controlling Uighur birth rates. According to reports at least 38 factories benefit from forced Uighur labour in China. (Bertuzzi) China claims that their actions are apart of their efforts to combat terrorism.
What has the international community done?
China is a powerful member of the United Nations by virtue of its permanent seat in the UN Security Council. This allows for China to veto any resolution made in regard to the Uighur issue. Additionally, China has multiple countries which can take its side on an international platform such as the United Nations.
The only times the issue has been addressed properly in a sense was when 22 countries wrote a letter to the Human Rights Council in 2019 condemning China’s mass detention of the Uighur community which resulted in a response by 37 countries which claimed that China was merely adopting policies which were necessary to fight terrorism. This process was again repeated in October 2020 when 39 countries submitted a statement to China to respect the rights of its minorities which was met by a counter statement made by 45 other countries which defended the policies made by China. (Besheer)
Fact finding missions by the United Nations are for the purpose of collecting evidence on alleged atrocities. Beijing has historically and currently rejected requests to have such missions conducted by independent missions in their country for the purpose of investigating their human rights record. (Baillie and Vandenbrink)
China is a growing superpower as evidenced by its economy and the dependency of other countries upon it for various reasons. Therefore, using foreign aid as bargaining chip in making the Chinese government change its policies on Uighurs is not a viable option. Potential sanctions could also affect other countries more negatively than it would China. As mentioned earlier China already has the support of at least 45 countries for their policies so naturally these countries would not be in support of sanctions and could potentially continue their respective trading with China even if other countries choose to proceed with sanctions.
Evidence has been obtained from leaked government documents, satellite images of detention camps, videos, and individual accounts of Uighurs. However there have been instances of doctored videos originating from other countries which has led to China using such as videos as propaganda to prove that the issue is just a hoax. (France 24)
What hope does the Uighur community have from the international community?
Although there have been protests against the treatment of Uighurs outside Chinese embassies in multiple countries since as early as 2015 in Turkey (BBC News) and even during the Covid pandemic in countries like Japan and Bangladesh (Chaudhury), the government in China has still not budged since they have no obligation to do so. In previous instances of mistreatment of civilians in countries such as South Sudan and Cote’d Ivoire, there were resolutions passed which even allowed for military action to protect civilians. This is not the case in the Uighur issue because China is a powerful member of the Security council who also has the support of multiple countries on its side rendering any potential action against them even on a diplomatic front null.
People wonder how the Holocaust was possible yet there is an eerily similar occurrence taking place in North West China. The future seems bleak for the Uighurs.
The opinions expressed and suggestions made in the article belong solely to the author themselves. Diplomania and O.P. Jindal Global University do not endorse the same.
Sources
Charbonneau, Louis. “Countries Blast China at UN Over Xinjiang Abuses.” Human Rights Watch, 28 Oct. 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/30/countries-blast-china-un-over-xinjiang-abuses
Bertuzzi, Christian. “Stimulating Change in the International Response (or Lack Thereof) to China’s Repression of the Uighurs.” The Organization for World Peace, 2 Dec. 2020, https://theowp.org/reports/stimulating-change-in-the-international-response-or-lack-thereof-to-chinas-repression-of-the-uighurs/
Baillie, Lauren, and Rachel Vandenbrink. “China: The International Community Is Failing Xinjiang’s Uyghurs.” United States Institute of Peace, 30 Dec. 2020, https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/12/china-international-community-failing-xinjiangs-uyghurs
Besheer, Margaret. “At UN: 39 Countries Condemn China’s Abuses of Uighurs.” Voice of America, 6 Oct. 2020, https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news-china/un-39-countries-condemn-chinas-abuses-uighurs (Besheer)
France 24, The Observers. “How Fake Images of Uighur Persecution Are Hurting Their Cause.” The Observers-France 24, 13 Jan. 2020, https://observers.france24.com/en/20200103-how-fake-images-uighur-persecution-are-hurting-cause
BBC News. “Turkish Police Hit Pro-Uighur Protesters with Pepper Spray.” BBC News, 9 July 2015,.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33457401
Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy. “Dhaka, Nepal, New York & Tokyo Witness Major Anti-China Protests on Uyghur Issue.” The Economic Times, 13 Nov. 2020, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/dhaka-nepal-new-york-tokyo-witness-major-anti-china-protests-on-uyghur-issue/articleshow/79205835.cms?from=mdr
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