THIS IS PART FIVE OF A FIVE-PART EDITORIAL SERIES.
*A full warning about content that may be viewed as offensive, triggering and/or otherwise distasteful is being provided now. This series will discuss acts of rape, forced abortion, sterilization, murder, torture, forced labor and genocide. This writing is meant to help give the Uighur people a voice and to show that they are being thought about, cared about and fought for in as many ways as possible. The Uighur people deserve their lives, their families, their culture and the one thing that we all hold dear: their freedom. These next sections will discuss the acts being committed against the Uighurs.*
Indoctrination:
Uighur children are losing their culture at the hands of the CCP, who are destroying families and ‘re-educating’ youth with propaganda that strips the Uighur of their cultural roots. It is reported that nearly half a million Uighur children have been placed into boarding schools where they are taught to love China and the CCP. Part of this indoctrination is the removal of the Uighur language from children’s education as well as the CCP forcing Uighur children to learn and speak in Mandarin.
The CCP claims that these schools are part of their campaign to alleviate poverty and give rural Uighur children better economic opportunities. However, this is heavily disputed as the purpose of these schools is to take children from their families and send them away. It is also important to note that Uighurs do want their children to go to these schools, but more often when
they are older and have had their cultural roots firmly implanted. While the effects of this are not imminent, the long-term cultural destruction will be one to last for generations as more and more Uighur children learn to reject their home culture and embrace the culture of the Han Chinese.
Organ Harvesting:
No, you did not misread this subtitle. The CCP is allegedly harvesting organs from Uighurs and members of the Falun Gong spiritual group to sell and use for organ transplants. According to a report from the China Tribunal, the number of organs harvested is in the hundreds of thousands. The CCP is allegedly collecting hearts, lungs, kidneys, corneas and other vital organs from prisoners to use and sell against their will.
I wish I could go into more detail here, but again the CCP is very close-lipped about this topic and denies any wrongdoing on its part. However the case, the accusation stands and there is substantial evidence to examine the claims. This egregious act has not been seen on such a national scale and has been so routinely performed by a government. The results are horrific and the person it’s being committed against is voiceless through it all.
Is There any Hope?
No, this is the cold water in the face. People need to understand. No matter how much I am against this and how much I hope for the Uighur people to be free, there seem to be no signs of this stopping or any real international effort being taken to stop it. In a recent town hall, President Joe Biden stated that the actions of Xi Jinping are “cultural differences,” claiming that the actions of China are an attempt to unify the country. The only reason he speaks out against it is because it is a cultural value in the United States.
That is not to say that there have been no efforts to stop this from happening. President Biden recently banned cotton imports from the Xinjiang region due to the forced labor and has called the actions in the region genocide. Canada just recently voted to recognize the treatment of the Uighur population as genocide, as well. International condemnation has been laid upon China for their actions.
Though it pains me to say it, this is all moot in the grand scheme of things. China hid this before and they will hide this again. No matter what they say, no one responsible will be held accountable for their actions. Uighur children are still being indoctrinated, women have been sterilized, culture ripped away, crimes against humanity unpunished and all the while the labor of the people kept in camps is being exploited, just like their organs. The Uighurs are being erased and there is nothing that, seemingly short of an invasion, can be done to stop it.
Not unless the voices of everyone continue to call this out for what it is and continue to bug every person in their lives about this issue. The Uighurs are trapped without a voice, but we are not. As Americans, we have a spot on the international stage and even if it is used purely to educate, it can be the one thing that may turn the tide for the Uighur people. I said it in the beginning and I will say it again: let the Uighur people be free!
Videos:
The following are two videos of Uighurs that brought this situation to my attention and I hope that the images of them carry the unease with you that they do with me.
https://twitter.com/steve_hanke/status/1359904207709622273
To catch up on this series, you can read part one here. part two here, part three here and part four here.