my understanding is that it’s at the point of erasure without outright murder at this time. being sent to concentration camps, forced labor, denied right to their culture, etc. the stuff that tends to come before mass killings, and the ultimate purpose of mass killings, is erasure of a group identity.
maybe it’s not a genocide like in Bosnia but it’s certainly problematic. the actions seem to be not far off from the ways indigenous americans have been erased, which is another place where the word “genocide” has been debated
The original definition of genocide was meant to include cultural erasure, but that was vetoed by the USA and other countries since they would be guilty of genocide themselves.
There’s no evidence whatsoever of forced labor, and calling the reeducation camps “concentration camps” is very misleading and not really based on actual evidence, just on misinterpreted Adrian Zenz anti-chinese propaganda.
In China, it’s normal for teens 13 to 18 years old to be interned into boarding schools in which they study about 12h a day. In western Europe that would be considered child abuse, in China many see it as a rather normal thing.
This isn’t to say there’s probably been a degree of authority abuse and police state for an interval of time in Xinjiang as a consequence of counter-terrorism policy. But Uyghur culture and language are celebrated, people enjoy better living conditions than 10 years ago, and you can see the vibrant life and culture in Kashgar if you go watch any content from any content creator who’s been in the area lately.
Also, if you cross a checkpoint in Xinjiang, and there are lots of them, you’ll likely have your phone checked and be asked to delete disharmonious images by the armed guards at them.
And please forgive me if being forced to dance, have your culture commodified, and be an exotic other for Han men’s gaze and touch doesn’t fill me with vim and joy for the state of Kashgar.
my understanding is that it’s at the point of erasure without outright murder at this time. being sent to concentration camps, forced labor, denied right to their culture, etc. the stuff that tends to come before mass killings, and the ultimate purpose of mass killings, is erasure of a group identity.
maybe it’s not a genocide like in Bosnia but it’s certainly problematic. the actions seem to be not far off from the ways indigenous americans have been erased, which is another place where the word “genocide” has been debated
The original definition of genocide was meant to include cultural erasure, but that was vetoed by the USA and other countries since they would be guilty of genocide themselves.
There’s no evidence whatsoever of forced labor, and calling the reeducation camps “concentration camps” is very misleading and not really based on actual evidence, just on misinterpreted Adrian Zenz anti-chinese propaganda.
In China, it’s normal for teens 13 to 18 years old to be interned into boarding schools in which they study about 12h a day. In western Europe that would be considered child abuse, in China many see it as a rather normal thing.
This isn’t to say there’s probably been a degree of authority abuse and police state for an interval of time in Xinjiang as a consequence of counter-terrorism policy. But Uyghur culture and language are celebrated, people enjoy better living conditions than 10 years ago, and you can see the vibrant life and culture in Kashgar if you go watch any content from any content creator who’s been in the area lately.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/2/china-targets-friendly-media-diplomats-to-tell-story-of-xinjiang
Also, if you cross a checkpoint in Xinjiang, and there are lots of them, you’ll likely have your phone checked and be asked to delete disharmonious images by the armed guards at them.
And please forgive me if being forced to dance, have your culture commodified, and be an exotic other for Han men’s gaze and touch doesn’t fill me with vim and joy for the state of Kashgar.