All Reading
This section contains a curated list of useful articles, investigations, books and other reading materials. The list is updated on a weekly basis and suggestions for additions are welcome.
Starting Points:
TikTok deletes videos related to Uyghur human rights violations
Uyghurs living abroad say they believe China is behind the deletions.
TikTok promotes pro-China bias on Tibet, Taiwan, Uyghurs: study
The findings show Beijing’s attempts to sway public opinion, particularly among youth, experts say.
China: Hundreds of Uyghur Village Names Change
Chinese authorities in Xinjiang have been systematically changing hundreds of village names with religious, historical, or cultural meaning for Uyghurs into names reflecting recent Chinese Communist Party ideology.
Uyghur publisher jailed for books on Uyghur independence, identity
Believed detained for publishing books about Uyghur cultural identity, Erkin Emet was sentenced to prison in 2018; his whereabouts and the length of his sentence is unknown.
China silencing critics in US, Congress told
Chinese critics of Beijing living in America are surveilled, intimidated and harassed by U.S.-based agents of the Chinese Communist Party if they speak out, activists told Congress.
China bans book about the early history of the Mongolian people
The move comes after President Xi Jinping called for renewed efforts to boost a sense of Chinese national identity in a visit to the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
Uyghur university student serving 13-year sentence for using VPN
Authorities stated he “posed a threat to national security” by using a virtual private network, or VPN, to bypass official internet sensors and view “illegal information”.
Uyghur teacher confirmed detained in Xinjiang for work on literature textbooks
A middle-school teacher is serving a 19-year prison sentence, likely for his participation in the writing of Uyghur textbooks two decades ago, despite them being approved by Chinese authorities.
Uyghur nutritionist confirmed detained in China’s Xinjiang
Authorities in China’s far-western Xinjiang region have detained a well-known Uyghur nutritionist for messages he posted on social media, according to police reports.
How China's Covid protests are being silenced
Following the deaths of ten people in a fire in Urumqi, an ever-growing list of words that reference the subsequent protests are being censored and attempts are being made to deflect the narrative on both various platforms.
Crowd angered by lockdowns calls for China’s Xi to step down
Protesters angered by strict anti-virus measures called for China’s powerful leader to resign, an unprecedented rebuke as authorities in at least eight cities struggled to suppress demonstrations.
China sentences mother of Uyghur Dutch airman to 15 years for visiting him abroad
Chinese authorities have sentenced the mother and sister-in-law of an ethnic Uyghur member of the Dutch air force to 15 years in prison on charges of supporting terrorism and revealing state secrets, Radio Free Asia reports.
‘Malicious' anti-lockdown comments on live stream prompt Xinjiang police probe
Chinese authorities in Xinjiang are investigating after internet users "maliciously flooded" a live-streamed government press conference with comments critical of COVID-19 restrictions.
Xinjiang party secretary visits areas where COVID lockdown protests occurred
Xinjiang’s Communist Party secretary on Monday visited districts in the capital Urumqi in northwestern China where rare protests against severe coronavirus lockdown measures occurred last week.
22 die of starvation in one day under COVID lockdown in Xinjiang’s Ghulja
At least 22 people died of starvation or lack of medical attention on a single day last week under China’s COVID lockdown policies in the northern Xinjiang city of Ghulja, RFA has confirmed with police and bereaved family members.
Uyghurs living under COVID-19 lockdowns in Xinjiang face food shortages, family separations
On Tuesday, Chinese authorities reported only one confirmed case for the entire Xinjiang region, home to 12 million Uyghur people. Despite the censorship of social media from the locked-down areas in Xinjiang, some posts have still surfaced about food shortages and a lack of medical care.
Event: Beijing’s Global Media Influence: Authoritarian Expansion and the Power of Democratic Resilience
Freedom House's newest report documents how the Chinese government is accelerating its efforts to influence news coverage and commentary in democracies worldwide, including through the use of covert and coercive tactics. Register for this virtual event discussing the report’s findings.
China’s Quiet Fury Over Xinjiang
We have been told that China is furious over the UN report on human rights in Xinjiang. Yet so far Chinese media have spoken only to the rest of the world - and virtually zero mention of the report can be found inside the country.
The Backstreets - A Novel From Xinjiang
The Backstreets is an astonishing novel by a preeminent contemporary Uyghur author. A translator’s introduction situates the novel in the political atmosphere that led to the disappearance of both the author and his work by the Chinese state.
Assessing the impact of CCP information operations related to Xinjiang
This report explores the online tactics used by the Chinese Communist Party to deny revelations or claims of human rights abuses occurring in Xinjiang.