UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR) DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS TO ERADICATE THE MALTREATMENT OF UYGHUR TURKS IN CHINA MELİKE KOCA - MUNDP
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RESEARCH REPORT
UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR
REFUGEES (UNHCR)
DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS TO ERADICATE THE
MALTREATMENT OF UYGHUR TURKS IN CHINA
MELİKE KOCA
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development – Research Report
Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China
Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair
Basic Overview of the Issue
The maltreatment of Uyghur Turks is an abuse of human rights and effectuated by the
Chinese government in and around the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. There are more
than 11 million Uyghur Turks in Xinjiang where unlawful acts are perpetrated by the Chinese
government. These acts are labeled as ‘’genocide’’ by many human rights experts, non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), government officials, and also the U.S. government.
More than one million Muslims, with the majority of Uygur Turks, have been held in detention
camps without any legal base by the Chinese government since 2017. The aforementioned
unlawful policy has been pursued under the Xi Jinping administration of the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP).
According to the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, suppressing religious
practices, severe ill-treatment, and political
indoctrination are considered to be human
rights abuses. There are more than 85
identified camps, where at least one million
Uighurs are forced to be interned. Even though
the Chinese government has abnegated the
existence of camps, they have acknowledged
these camps as ‘’re-education centers’’ for
Uighurs after the images of camp constructions Figure 1 - Locations of "re-education camps" for Uighurs in
Xinjiang, western China, also known as East Turkestan.
were released.
Explanation of Important Terms
Ethnocide
Ethnocide is the deliberate destruction of an ethnic culture (Merriam-Webster). This term is
also related to the term ‘’cultural cleansing’’. Since the term ethnocide could be used in
different meanings and contexts, the general approach could be interpreted as inclusion and
exclusion in law and policies according to the terms anthropology.
General genocide
The term general genocide was first mentioned by the lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1944.
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 1
Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China
Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair
General genocide is described as "acts and measures are undertaken to destroy nations' or
ethnic groups' culture through spiritual, national, and cultural destruction" by the Armenian
Genocide Museum.
Re-education Centers
The re-education camps are officially named ‘’Vocational Education and Training Centers’’ by
the Chinese government. These camps were created under CCP General Secretary Xi
Jinping’s administration in the Xinjiang area. It was extrapolated that over one and a half
million people, including mostly Uyghurs but also Kazakhs and Kyrgyz (mainly Turkic
Muslims), are being held in the aforementioned internment camps.
Detailed Background of the Issue
The Xinjiang Region
The Xinjiang region, an autonomous territory in the Northwest of China, has borders to
eight different countries, including the Russian Federation, Afghanistan, and India. It is
officially known as the “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” and it is home to a number of
different ethnic groups - the most prominent one being the Turkic Uyghurs. Although the
policy of the Chinese government is to allow ethnic groups to maintain their cultural identities,
several ethnic tensions have arisen. One of the main issues in the region is the conflict
between the Uyghurs and Han.
In 2017, it was reported by the Human Rights Watch that the Chinese authorities have
begun to operate “re-education camps” in the Xinjiang region to indoctrinate the Uyghur
Turks. Various governments and human rights experts have accused the government of
China of the mistreatment of the Uyghur Turks.
Restrictions Imposed on the Uyghurs (1990-2017)
At the beginning of 1996, Chinese authorities in Xinjiang launched the “strike hard”
campaign, which included measures targeting cell phones, computers, and religious
materials belonging to the Uyghurs. The measures taken were due to the growing tensions
between the Uyghurs and the Han Chinese in the Xinjiang region. In addition, long beards
were banned, and women were not allowed to wear veils in public places. Since these were
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 2Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China
Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair
direct human rights violations, the Uyghur Turks began to protest, which resulted in arrests
and executions.
The campaign was relaunched in 2014 with more repressive measures. The DNA
samples, iris scans, and voice samples of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region were collected.
Also, people were tracked through CCTV footage and ID cards. Even though this, again, is a
direct violation of human rights, and the Chinese government has received criticism and
condemnation from the international community, the government has continued with its
repressive measures.
Other restrictions include Uyghurs not being able to build their own mosques, fast
during Ramadan, and name their children with common Muslim names. In addition, Uyghurs
are not allowed to have their children attend an Islamic private school or mosques.
Accusations Against the Chinese Government
There are numerous specific accusations towards the government of China on the issue of
Uyghur Turks. Human rights experts have demanded the International Criminal Court and
United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate the internment camps in the Xinjiang
region. In terms of maltreatment such as torture, forced sterilization, and forced labor, some
governments and human rights experts have alleged that China is committing an “Uyghur
genocide.”
Torture and Mistreatment
A remarkable number of human rights experts consider the Chinese re-education camps as
cruel mistreatment towards the Uyghur refugee group in China. According to a report
published by Human Rights Watch, the Chinese government conducted “mass arbitrary
detention, torture and mistreatment” of Uighur Turks in the region. As a first-hand source, an
Uyghur Turk living in China has stated in an interview that the Chinese government torture
Uyghurs by hanging them from their arms for hours and resorting to violence cruelly.
Forced Sterilization
The state is already struggling with widespread criticism for keeping mostly Muslim Uyghurs in
detention camps. The Chinese government has demanded the existence of the detention
camps before defending them as a necessary precaution against terrorism in terms of citizens'
security due to separatist violence in the Xinjiang region. Unfortunately, the practice of forced
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 3Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China
Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair
sterilization is a cruel action that still
takes place in the 21st century; it
overwhelmingly targets minorities. A
Chinese-published “Analysis Report on
Population Change in Xinjiang" refutes
these statements, attributing the decline
of the Uighur Muslim population to the
“eradication of religious extremism. An Figure 2 - Birth rates in Uyghur areas between 2010-2017
AP investigation in 2020 proves the
Uighur women are forced to have regular pregnancy checks, IUDs, sterilizations, and also
abortion.
Forced Labor
Many UN members have accused China of the fact that the Uighur Turks are forced laborers,
and their recruitment in firms is completely against the law and human rights. According to
the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s report, over 80,000 million Uyghur Turks were sent
to factories directly from detention camps between 2017 to 2019. According to a report by
Citizen Power Initiatives for China (CPIC), Xinjiang is home to 84% of the country's cotton
and exports material to many of China's clothing manufacturers. Lately, a non-profit
organization from Washington DC’s report stated that China has been using forced labor
camps and prison labor to profit off of the cotton industry in its Xinjiang region.
Turkish-Chinese Relations
In recent years, due to the separatist movements in the Xinjiang region, Chinese and Turkish
governments have started to strengthen their relations and cooperation. Turkey has also
increased deportations of Uyghurs to China. After the release of an insight view of the
detention camps, Turkey has specifically stated its concerns and condemnation. Turkey’s
Foreign Ministry has stated that Uighur Turks are facing torture in concentration camps, “The
reintroduction of detention camps in the 21st century and the systematic assimilation policy
of Chinese authorities against the Uighur Turks is a great embarrassment for humanity.’’ In
short, the Turkish government has called upon every member state of the UN to collaborate
on the issue of maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China to conclude the violation of human
rights.
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 4Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair Uyghur Children in Xinjiang Thousands of Uighur children are struggling and are left without parents. According to evidence from government documents in Xinjiang, their mothers and fathers are held in Chinese internment camps by force. An anthropologist, Adrian Zenz, indicates that approximately 9,500 mostly Uighur children were either facing ‘’single hardship’’ if one of their parents was detained in these camps or ‘’double hardship’’ if both of them were in 2018. Many of the children are replaced in state orphanages or boarding schools where almost all classes are in Mandarin. Children are struggling since they are not able to use their native Uyghur language. Major Parties Involved People’s Republic of China Uighurs are Turkic Muslim groups who live in the north-western territory of Xinjiang, China. Since 1949 Xinjiang has been under the control of China, and it has a significant role for the Chinese government politically. According to many human rights experts, it is open to interpretation that Figure 3 - Chinese and Xinjian regions border the Chinese authorities consider people in Xinjiang such as Uighurs and other Muslim minorities as potential terrorists and think that they have the right to interfere with their lives. Today, more than 85 identified camps are established by the government of China, where at least one million Uighurs are forced to be interned to control them. In 2020, the International Criminal Court decided to investigate China’s detention camps. After this decision was made, the number of China’s supporters has started to decrease. United States of America The State Department considers the Chinese government's maltreatment of Uyghur Turks as committing genocide and accuses them of aiming to eradicate the cultural and religious value of Uyghurs. The Department has also declared that the attempt of forced sterilization and the MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 5
Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair existence of internment camps are against The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The determination of flagitiousness is a rare action on the part of the State Department, and the new Biden administration could take action to impose more sanctions against China to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in the Xinjiang region. Turkey Historically, Turkey has welcomed many Uighur Turks and other minor Turkic Muslims fleeing China. The 50,000 Uighurs are currently in Turkey as refugees. With the ongoing Uighur Turks conflict, Turkey expresses concerns about the human rights violations. At the United Nations General Assembly, Turkey has stated the Figure 4 - Image of an individual wearing a mask that symbolizes the protests discourteousness against the cultural and religious identity of Uighur Turks. The Uighur Turks population currently living in Istanbul, Turkey, stage protests outside the Chinese claim to be informed about the condition of their family members; however, Chinese consulate staff has not responded to the protestors yet. United Kingdom Recently, the United Kingdom government has stated that there is enough evidence that proves China’s actions towards Uighur Turks in re-education camps are of human rights violations. The UK has forewarned firms about the fact that the Uighur Turks are forced laborers, and their recruitment is completely unlawful. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has stated ‘’China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims “has all the hallmarks of a genocidal atrocity, The UK Government must act now”’’ and addressed the urgency of the issue. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) UNHCR, also known as the UN Refugee Agency, aims to protect the rights and the well- being of refugees. UNHCR's purpose is to provide every human being the right to seek MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 6
Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China
Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair
asylum and to voluntarily return to their country. Because the minorities in Xinjiang, including
Uighur Turks, cannot stand for their rights to return home and are held in ‘’re-education
camps’’ unlawfully, UNHCR must take action regarding the human rights violations.
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
A report of Human Rights Watch 2018 focuses on the Chinese government campaign of
"arbitrary mass detention, torture, forced political indoctrination, and mass surveillance of
Xinjiang's Muslims.” HRW accuses China of tyrannizing 12 million Uyghur Turks.
Chronology of Important Events
Summer, ‘’The incorporation of Xinjiang into the People's Republic of China’’. This
1949 annexation put Xinjiang under the control of China after it was taken over by
the Chinese communists.
Spring, 1950 The majority of the Xinjiang region is now in definite control of Chinese
communists
2013-2014 The Chinese government regards some Uyghur militants as responsible for
the security threatening attacks. These attacks take place from 2013 to 2014,
which put Uyghurs in a target position for China
2017 China underlines new restrictions with new laws. The Xinjiang government
passes a law that clearly targets Islamic beliefs and forbids men from having
long beards and women from wearing veils
2016-2018 One-sixth of 24,400 mosques in Xinjiang are completely razed, which is
considered a direct attack on Islamic beliefs
December The International Criminal Court (ICC) declines to take investigative action
2020 against China
October The UN Member States supporting China’s actions towards Uyghur Turks
2020 decreases from 54 to 45
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 7Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China
Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair
July- Human rights experts demand the ICC and UNHRC to start investigating the
August, Chinese government's attitude towards Uyghurs in terms of maltreatment
2020
Dec 15, The ICC declines to investigate the Chinese government for their detention
2020 of ethnic and religious minorities
Relevant International Documents
- The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Dec 9,
1948, General Assembly Resolution 260
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Dec 10, 1948, General Assembly
Resolution 217A
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, Dec 10, 1984, entry into force Jun 26, 1987, in accordance with article
27, General Assembly resolution 39/46
- Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and
Linguistic Minorities, Dec 18, 1992, General Assembly resolution 47/135-
- Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based
on Religion or Belief, Nov 25, 1981, General Assembly resolution 36/55
- Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Jul 28, 1951, United Nations
Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons
convened under General Assembly resolution 429 (V)
Past Attempts to Resolve the Issue
Even though there have been some attempts to solve the issue of maltreatment of
Uyghur Turks in China, there was not an efficient one to resolve this issue definitively. In
2018, the International Criminal Court decided to start an investigation on the
aforementioned internment camps to detect any form of violation of human rights. Except for
a few reporters and human rights experts, no one has filmed these camps. The organization
has announced that the International Criminal Court has declined to investigate the Chinese
government for their detention of ethnic and religious minorities. Since the Chinese
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 8Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China
Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair
government is not taking any responsibility for the accusations, imposing sanctions on the
Chinese government was not possible.
Some governments have sent joint letters to China, condemning the situation in the
Xinjiang region and how the Uyghur Turks are treated. However, since China does not take
responsibility for the issue, there has not been any treaties or agreements to definitively
solve the problem.
Solution Alternatives
The United Nations must focus on eradicating the issue of the mistreatment of Uyghur Turks
in China. As for the short-term solutions, the humanitarian aspect of the issue must be
elaborated since Uyghur Turks need urgent care. For that purpose, creating a specific non-
governmental organization with volunteering member states could be an alternative step in
resolving the issue. This NGO could collect donations from volunteers in order to provide
financial aid to mistreated people. It could also focus on providing enough food sources since
many children and women are suffering from hunger. The continuous delivery of relief
packages, including such but not limited to food and clothing to the Uyghur Turks, will be a
beneficial solution for the short-term. Secondly, the UN should take actions such as
encouraging states to focus on investigating the camps for any possible human rights
violation. In order to make sure that the Uyghur Turks have good health conditions, creating
health centers for refugees in Xinjiang under the control of the UN could be another solution
alternative. Creating a medical team including volunteering professionals to be placed in the
created several healthcare centers in that area could bring short-term solutions for the
refugees’ well-being. On the other hand, the refugee children should be provided with
enough quality education. This education system should be divided into age groups in order
to be efficient enough moreover regular examinations done by the authorities can create data
to make sure that its quality is high and there is not any form of discrimination. Moreover,
many children are separated from their parents obtrusively and face living alone. That is why
creating a family reunification system with clear data collected from the camps in order to
bring them together. The security of this database must be ensured by the assistance of a
cybersecurity team appointed based on the recommendations of the cybersecurity
organizations of the Member States, such as the National Security Agency (NSA).
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 9Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China
Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair
Bibliography
• Jardin, Xeni. “China Has 500+ Uighur Camps and Prisons and Is Holding Far More
than One Million, Activists Say.” Boing Boing, Nov 18, 2019,
https://boingboing.net/2019/11/12/china-has-500-uighur-camps-an.html
• “Pressure on Turkey to Protect Uighurs as China Ratifies Extradition Treaty.” The
Guardian, Guardian News and Media, Dec 29, 2020,
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/29/pressure-on-turkey-to-protect-uighurs-as-
china-ratifies-extradition-treaty.
• Putz, Catherine. “2020 Edition: Which Countries Are For or Against China's Xinjiang
Policies?” – The Diplomat, For The Diplomat, Oct 9, 2020,
https://thediplomat.com/2020/10/2020-edition-which-countries-are-for-or-against-
chinas-xinjiang-policies/
• “UK Muslim Group Urges Gov't to Help Chinese Uighurs.” Anadolu Ajansı,
www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-muslim-group-urges-govt-to-help-chinese-
uighurs/1917634.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “Climate Change and Conflict
Pursue Displaced Burkinabes.” UNHCR News, www.unhcr.org/.
• “International Criminal Court - Latest News.” Catholic News Agency,
www.catholicnewsagency.com/tags/international-criminal-court.
• “United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.”
United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/international-
law.shtml.
• “Uyghur Genocide.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Jan 25, 2021,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_genocide#References
• “China Forcing Birth Control, Sterilization and Abortion on Uighurs to Curb Muslim
Population.” Ya Libnan, https://yalibnan.com/2020/06/30/china-forcing-birth-control-
sterilization-and-abortion-on-uighurs-to-curb-muslim-population/
• Why Is China Being Accused of Sterilising Uighur Women?
www.trtworld.com/magazine/why-is-china-being-accused-of-sterilising-uighur-women-
43078
MUNDP 2021 – Commitment to Development 10Committee: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Agenda Item: Developing solutions to eradicate the maltreatment of Uyghur Turks in China
Student Officer & Role: Melike Koca, Deputy Chair
• “China–Turkey Relations.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Jan 11, 2021,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China–Turkey_relations
• “US: China 'Committed Genocide against Uighurs'.” BBC News, BBC, 20 Jan. 2021,
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• “Chinese Detention 'Leaving Thousands of Uighur Children without Parents'.” The
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chinese-detention-papers-show.
Useful Links
- Human Rights in China
- Forced sterilizations and life in China’s Uyghur Muslim Internment Camps
- Pressure on Turkey to protect Uighurs as China ratifies extradition treaty
- 2020 Edition: Which countries are for or against China’s Xinjiang policies?
- China forcing birth control on Uighurs to suppress population – BBC
- US: CHINA 'COMMITTED GENOCIDE AGAINST UIGHURS'
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