The declaration is the strongest condemnation from any government to date.
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The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it had determined that China’s detention and repression of Uighur Muslims amounts to “genocide” and “crimes against humanity,” the strongest statement from any government to date against China’s policies in the Xinjiang region.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that China is “targeting Uyghur Muslims and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups,” which is “an affront to the Chinese people and to civilized nations everywhere.”
China has detained over 1 million Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang region of the country over the past three years, human rights groups and U.S. officials say, holding them in facilities aimed at suppressing their Islamic identity and subjecting large numbers to forced labor,
sterilization and torture.
China has
denied charges of human rights abuses, saying “reeducation” camps are voluntary, necessary to combat extremism and that “people of all ethnic groups independently choose safe, effective and appropriate birth control measures.
Crucial Quote
“In addition, after careful examination of the available facts, I have determined that the PRC, under the direction and control of the CCP, has committed genocide against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang. I believe this genocide is ongoing, and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy Uyghurs by the Chinese party-state,” Pompeo said in a
statement.
