Thread by @ICIJorg

NEW: Thousands of images and documents leaked from public security bureaus in Xinjiang provide an unprecedented view of the militarized nature of China’s mass internment camps, refuting official claims about so-called ‘educational centers’ for Uyghurs. 🧵 bit.ly/3PFV01u

The leak is the first of its kind, bringing to light photos taken inside the camps, and unearthing evidence of prison-like conditions in Xinjiang, police training materials, confidential transcripts and more. bit.ly/3PFV01u

The #XinjiangPoliceFiles include mug shots and personal information of thousands of Xinjiang residents, about 2,900 of which were detained, dating back to the height of the Chinese government’s mass internment program of ethnic minorities in 2017 or 2018. bit.ly/3PFV01u

As many as 1 million people have been held in Xinjiang (according to estimates by UN and US officials) in facilities that China claims are meant to combat terrorism, improve labor skills, and reduce poverty among Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. bit.ly/3PFV01u

But years of exposés, including ICIJ’s #ChinaCables investigation, have uncovered evidence of a mass system of extrajudicial detention, forced labor and accounts of torture, rape and other human rights abuses in Xinjiang starting in 2017. bit.ly/3NvXdee

The new records shed light on the high-tech mechanics of mass detention, showing how at least 10,000 Xinjiang residents were recommended for detention or closer inspection by a predictive policing program used by Chinese officers to identify 'suspects.' bit.ly/3PFV01u

One document cites use of the mobile file-sharing app Zapya, or “Kuaiya” in Chinese, as a reason to detain people.

A #ChinaCables investigation previously detailed Chinese officials’ monitoring of Uyghurs who used Zapya to download religious content. bit.ly/39FEEWn

Over the years, China’s program against Uyghurs has sparked international condemnation, sanctions, and allegations of genocide.

This week, @UNHumanRights chief @mbachelet will make a much-anticipated visit to Xinjiang. bit.ly/3PFV01u

Confidential files show that a 2018 visit by a EU delegation to inspect the human rights situation in Xinjiang was strictly monitored by Chinese authorities, and that the diplomats reported intense surveillance and intrusive checks. bit.ly/3PFV01u

Activist and researcher @adrianzenz, who first obtained the #XinjiangPoliceFiles, says he hopes the material will counter China’s propaganda attempts to whitewash what’s happening to Uyghurs.

“It’s [one] thing to know it and another thing to see it.” bit.ly/3PFV01u