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An investigation published by an Australian research institute revealed, on Thursday, that China has 380 “alleged detention centers” in Xinjiang (northwest), a network that has been strengthened by the tightening of security policy.
This huge semi-desert region, which witnessed bloody attacks attributed to members of the Muslim Uyghur ethnic group, is under tight security control in the name of fighting terrorism.
According to organizations concerned with the defense of human rights, more than a million people, the majority Muslims, were transferred there to “concentration camps”.
China insists they are “vocational training centers” to help residents find work and stay away from religious extremism.
The Institute for Strategic Policy, a Canberra-based think tank set up by the Australian government, says that thanks to satellite images, testimonies, press articles and public presentations, it has revealed “more than 380 alleged detention centers” in Xinjiang.
The researchers say that these centers, whose functions and sizes are sometimes different, are “re-education camps” and “detention centers” or even “prisons”.
This figure represents an increase of 40% according to previous estimates, and “new construction and expansion works were carried out in at least 61 detention centers between July 2019 and July 2020,” according to the study.
This information appears to contradict China’s statements, which assert that people who have received “training” have obtained “certificates” and left “vocational training centers”.
In response to a question during a press conference ThursdayChinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Weinbin categorically denied the existence of “concentration camps” in Xinjiang. He questioned the “credibility” of the Institute for Strategic Policy.
The research was funded in part by help from the US State Department, according to the Australian Bureau of Investigation. In recent months, Washington has been in the forefront to denounce Chinese policy in the region.
On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives adopted a bill that bans the importation of most products produced in Xinjiang, the Chinese province where Washington says Beijing is forcing members of the Uighur Muslim minority to “work Like slaves”.
The Uighurs are Turkish-speaking Muslims who make up the largest ethnic group in Xinjiang, the vast and autonomous region of northwest China.
In mid-September, China was proud of its vocational training policies in Xinjiang, with 1.29 million people trained annually in 2014-2019, which, it said, allowed unemployment and instability to decline.
Authorities say the region has not witnessed any attacks for more than three years.
