The Chinese regional government in Xinjiang has legalised “re-education centres” for local Uighur Muslims after denying their presence as interment camps.
In August, China had denied the allegations of mistreatment and the detention of Muslim Uighurs, however the United Nations currently estimates that as as many as 1 million Uighurs have been detained. The Chinese government maintains that these education centres are crucial in their effort to stamp out religious extremism and violence within the region.
In the legislation it notes that the authorities have the right to detain those who engage in suspicious behaviour - which includes wearing a headscarf; having long beards; refusing to watch state TV or listen to state radio; or observance of religious practices. Human Rights Watch has also detailed a worrying surveillance of the community with “facial recognition, mobile phone scans, DNA collection and scores of security cameras”.
See more from the BBC here and Al Jazeera here.
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