The UK's responsibility to act on atrocities in Xinjiang
After every major atrocity, the world says "never again". It is happening again.
The crimes against the Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang are horrifying. Our report shows the response necessary to stop China's atrocities in the autonomous region.
Under the guise of counter-terrorism, the Chinese Government is committing human rights abuses. It is responsible for:
- the mass detention of more than a million Uyghurs in Xinjiang;
- forcing them into industrial-scale forced labour programmes;
- attempting to wipe out Uyghur and Islamic culture through forced sterilisation of women, destruction of cultural sites, and separation of children from families.
"Around 2017, I learned from family, friends, and acquaintances that they had gradually lost contact with my family and relatives. Later I found out that some of them had been put into those facilities called 'Vocational Training and Education Center' and some had been sent to prison, while for others it was simply that no one knew their whereabouts."
The multilateral system
The atrocities in Xinjiang are an international call to action. They show that powerful actors can oppress people within their territory with impunity.
The international system, designed in the shadow of the worst human rights violations imaginable, has built institutions such as the United Nations to respond to crises like this. If the Chinese Government continues to stall and prevent in-country investigations, the UK should:
- propose a Human Rights Council motion that the High Commissioner for Human Rights investigate the atrocities in Xinjiang from outside of China;
- accept Parliament’s view that Uyghurs and other ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang are suffering genocide and crimes against humanity, and take action to bring these crimes to an end.
"Both of my parents are University graduates, they don’t need any ‘education’. Both of them have been working in their respective workplace for over 25 years … they don’t need ‘vocational training’. My parents speak fluent Mandarin … they don’t need to ‘learn Mandarin’. "
Forced labour and
the private sector
Many of those who "graduate" from internment camps in Xinjiang are coerced into state-organised forced labour programmes.
- Between 2017-19 alone, more than 80,000 Uyghurs were forcibly transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China, under the Xinjiang Aid programme;
- More recent estimates suggest that at least 570,000 people from Xinjiang have been forced to pick cotton and paid little to nothing;
- Satellite imagery reveals factories surrounded by barbed wire fences, surveillance cameras, and guard towers.
"What I am asking for are basic human rights for my family, and for all Uyghur families. How can China be allowed to get away with this?"
Through regulation of the private sector, we can protect the Uyghur people by exploring the possibility of banning the import of all cotton products known to be produced in whole or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, in line with WTO rules.
Technology and research
Xinjiang has become a modern police state where advanced technology supports an unprecedented level of surveillance and repression. These systems collect Uyghurs' biometric information, such as blood type and height, and track their every move for suspicious activity.
We are alarmed by the reports that Uyghurs in the camps are restrained in chairs and subjected to experimental technologies. UK universities should avoid any form of technological or research collaboration with Chinese institution possesses known or suspected links to repression in Xinjiang.
"On the morning of 24 March 2017, after my father was called away by the local government of Turpan for a “meeting,” we do not know where he went. Not long after, an eyewitness told us that, when my father entered the “meeting,” he was taken away along with several of those attending the meeting."
Cameras made by the Chinese firm Hikvision are in use throughout Xinjiang, including in the internment camps. Independent reports suggest that Hikvision cameras are operating throughout the UK in areas such as Kensington and Chelsea, Guildford and Coventry in leisure centres and even schools.
We recommend that the UK Government:
- prohibits organisations and individuals in the UK from doing business with any companies associated with the Xinjiang atrocities through the sanctions regime;
- prohibit UK firms and public sector bodies from conducting business with, investing in, or entering into partnerships with such Chinese firms.
The UK's approach to
atrocity prevention
"Unfortunately, my family members were unlawfully arrested for the sole reason that they have family members living abroad."
The UK Government is not powerless. By sharpening its systems for predicting and preventing mass atrocities, it can stand with the defenceless against the indefensible.
We recommend that the UK Government:
- introduce a national, cross-departmental strategy for atrocity prevention;
- establish a dedicated atrocity prevention unit drawing on the knowledge of experts in international law, sanctions, intelligence and aid programming, as well as departmental leads;
- appoint a Special Envoy on Atrocity Prevention to ensure that the prevention of mass atrocities is consistently championed in Parliament and Government.
Conclusions
In recent years, the Chinese Government has:
- tested and challenged the way we trade and engage with each other to breaking point;
- undermined the fundamental principles that have ensured peace and stability.
All countries that support this system must find innovative ways of working together to hold powerful nations to account for their actions. Xinjiang is one example of what happens when states can act with impunity. We must ensure that this does not set a dangerous precedent.
After every major atrocity and tragedy, the world says, "never again". It is happening again. It is not too late to act.
"I want to know the reason why they were taken to the camp without any process, my parents could not dare say anything ... please help us, please help millions Uyghur people who are suffering in [C]hina concentration camp. [P]lease help the Uyghur children who were separated with their parents, please stop the Uyghur genocide."
What happens next?
We have made these recommendations to the Government.
The Government must now respond to our report
Our report Never Again: The UK's Responsibility to Act on Atrocities in Xinjiang and Beyond was published on 8 July 2021.
Detailed information from our inquiry can be found on our Committee website.
If you’re interested in our work, you can find out more on the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee website. You can also follow our work on Twitter.
The Foreign Affairs Committee examines the expenditure, administration and policy of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other bodies associated with the Foreign Office and within the Committee's remit, including the British Council.
Title image source: Kuzzat Altay via Unsplash
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