Uyghur rights | IASbaba

Uyghur rights

Part of: Prelims and GS-II – Human rights; International Relations 

Context 43 countries have called on China to “ensure full respect for the rule of law” for the Muslim Uyghur community in Xinjiang, in a statement read at the United Nations.

• The declaration was signed by the USA and several European and Asian member states and others.
• They accused China of a list of human rights violations against the Uyghurs, including torture, forced sterilisation and forced disappearances.

Who are Uyghur Muslims?

• Uyghurs, are a minority Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia.
• The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China.
• China rejects the idea of them being an indigenous group
• Since 2016, it is estimated that over a million Uyghurs have been detained in Xinjiang re-education camps.(UN)
• International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the main feature of the camps is to ensure adherence to Chinese Communist Party ideology.