Uyghur

The Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group primarily located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, which is in the northwest part of the country. The Uyghurs are one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China, with a population of over 11 million people. The Uyghurs are predominantly Muslim and have their own unique language and culture.

In recent years, the Chinese government has been accused of committing human rights abuses against the Uyghur population, including arbitrary detention, forced labor, and religious and cultural persecution. Reports from various human rights organizations and media outlets have alleged that up to a million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have been detained in “re-education” or “vocational training” centers. The Chinese government denies these allegations and refers to these centers as measures to combat extremism and terrorism in the region. However, many in the international community have expressed concern about the treatment of the Uyghurs and have called for an end to the human rights abuses.