WEB DESK: A recent study by Yale University’s Genocide Studies Programme found that Muslim ethnic minority Uyghurs in Xinjiang have collectively been sentenced to a combined 4.4 million years in prison by China.
According to “Radio Free Asia”, the report detailed the extensive nature of China’s crackdown on Uyghurs since 2017.
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The report, titled “Uyghur Race as the Enemy: China’s Legalised Authoritarian Oppression [and] Mass Imprisonment” described how the Chinese government has detained thousands of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in re-education camps and prisons as part of this campaign.
The 25-page study relied on data from the Xinjiang Victims Database, which includes records of nearly 62,700 detained Uyghurs based on leaked police documents and other sources.
Researchers also examined records from the Xinjiang High People’s Procuratorate from 2017 to 2021. They identified over 13,114 cases with average prison terms of 8.8 years.
The researchers extrapolated the figures to estimate a total of 4.4 million years of imprisonment. However, the actual number is likely higher due to the lack of recent data.
An Uyghur human rights lawyer and principal author of the report, Rayhan Asat, described the scale of imprisonment as unprecedented. She warned that if fully realised, the massive sentencing would result in “total ethnic incapacitation” for the Uyghur people.
The study critiqued the Chinese government’s use of “legalised authoritarianism” through laws such as article 120 of the Criminal Law and the Counter-Terrorism Law to legitimise these human rights abuses. It also notes that nearly 90 per cent of criminal records in Xinjiang remain unpublished, unlike those in other regions of China.
Asat has actively campaigned for Uyghur rights and whose brother Ekpar Asat remains detained in Xinjiang. She talked about the severe impact of the mass imprisonment on Uyghur culture and community.
The report coincides with the second anniversary of a 2022 United Nations (UN) report, which suggested that China’s mass detentions might constitute crimes against humanity.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called on China to address human rights issues in Xinjiang and other regions; Beijing has disregarded this.
The director of Yale’s Genocide Studies Programme David J Simon indicated that the 4.4 million-year figure is a conservative estimate, with the actual number likely being much higher.
The report urged international bodies and countries to increase pressure on China, including activating accountability mechanisms, imposing targeted sanctions, and establishing a UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate the reported atrocities.
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Asat also claimed that despite shifting global attention to other crises, the suffering of the Uyghur people continues “without respite”.