Unfortunately, this issue has been happening for a while. The Chinese government has made re-education camps, which are basically internment camps. (Xinjiang internment camps, officially called Xinjiang Vocational Education and Training Centers) Since 2017, the camps were established for the ethnic cleansing of the Uyghurs and other Muslims as part of a "people's war on terror”.
The camps have been criticized by many countries and human rights organizations for alleged human rights abuses, mistreatment, rape, and torture, with some alleging genocide. Some countries have expressed support for the camps. The camps are reportedly operated outside the legal system, where many Uyghurs have reportedly been interned without trial and no charges have been levied against them (held in administrative detention). Local authorities are reportedly holding hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs in these camps for the stated purpose of countering extremism and terrorism, which is promoting social integration. As of 2019, it was estimated that Chinese authorities may have detained up to 1.5 million people.
Historically, Chinese dynasties have exerted various degrees of control and influence over parts of what is known as modern-day Xinjiang. The region came under complete Chinese rule as a result of the westward expansion of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, which also conquered Tibet and Mongolia. This conquest, which marked the beginning of Xinjiang under Qing rule, ended in 1758. While nominally declared part of China's core territory, it was generally seen by the imperial court as a distant land of its own. In 1758, it was designated as a penal colony and site of exile. It was also governed as a military protectorate as a province. The Chinese government continued to maintain its actions in Xinjiang as justifiable responses to a threat of extremism and terrorism.
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