Recently, 43 countries have signed a declaration, calling on China to ensure full respect for the rule of law for the Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang.
Context
Recently, 43 countries have signed a declaration, calling on China to ensure full respect for the rule of law for the Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang.
Key-Points
- The declaration was signed by the US and other countries accusing China of human rights violations and ethnic cleansing against the Uighur Muslims.
- Similar declarations in 2019 and 2020 criticized China for its policies in Xinjiang, where the United States accused Beijing of carrying out genocide.
- It also requested access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- It noted the existence of a large network of 'political re-education' camps in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, where more than a million people have been arbitrarily detained.
China’s Stand
- China has long denied allegations of ethnic cleansing. He also criticized the announcement and termed it as a plot to hurt China's image.
- China says its camps are ‘educational centres’ where Uighurs are cured of “extremist thoughts” and radicalization, and learning vocational skills.
- However, in actuality, they are brutal incarceration camps.
India’s Stand
- The Indian government has maintained near silence on the Uighur crisis.
About Uighur Muslims
- The Uighurs are a minority Turkic group of Muslims, whose origins can be traced to Central and East Asia.
- The Uighurs speak their own language, similar to Turkish, and consider themselves culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian countries.
- The Uighurs are regarded as one of 55 officially recognized ethnic minority communities in China.
- However, China sees the community as a regional minority and denies that they are a traditional group.
- Currently, a large number of Uighur people live in the Xinjiang region of China.
- The vast majority of Uighur live in neighboring Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
- Xinjiang is technically an independent region within China - its largest region, rich in minerals, and shares borders with eight countries, including India, Pakistan, Russia and Afghanistan.
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