Adrian Zenz Profile picture
Feb 9 13 tweets 5 min read
In a stunning move, Erkin Tuniyaz, Xinjiang governor and vocal camp defender, is expected to meet U.K. gov't officials and EU diplomats.

New evidence from the #XinjiangPoliceFiles shows he gave personal orders on "escape prevention" from the camps: /1
politico.eu/newsletter/chi…
Background: since mid-2014, Tuniyaz has been XUAR party committee standing committee member and XUAR government vice chairman. This means he was part of overseeing the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, which controls all security organs and camps. /2
web.archive.org/web/2023020822…
The XUAR party committee was also closely involved in the drafting of the De-Extremification Regulation, which provided the basis for the mass internments into re-education camps. This began mid-2014, after Xi Jinping authorizing it in his secret speech./3 uyghurtribunal.com/wp-content/upl…
Meaning, Tuniyaz was involved in drafting the Regulation from its inception. In 2016, Tuniyaz attended an event demonstrating the successful re-education of prisoners, at that time a relatively new measure being tested on prisoners: /4 news.sina.cn/gn/2016-02-02/…
But the key evidence implicating him in the atrocity comes from the #XinjiangPoliceFiles:

On July 6, 2018, shortly after the visit of Chinese Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi's visit to Xinjiang, Tuniyaz spoke to the XUAR Stability Maintenance Command headquarters: /5
There, Tuniyaz exhorted this entity, which oversees day-to-day police / security / camp operations, to ensure the “absolute security” of the prisons and internment camps, and the “anti-escape” measures (“Five Prevents”) taken to prevent escapes from the camps. /6
This means that in mid-2018, at the height of the campaign of mass internment, Tuniyaz was directly implicated in enforcing the security and anti-escape measures of the internment camps holding Uyghurs. /7
Tuniyaz also refers to a highly inflammatory speech from Chen Quanguo held on June 18th, in which Chen tells officials to "resolutely open fire" on anyone moving against the camps, and to ruthlessly enforce stability maintenance at all cost. /8
Together, all of this means that Tuniyaz was closely informed of camp detention statistics, security measures, and closely involved in the work leading up to the mass internments. /9
In the summer of 2019, Tuniyaz then defended the so-called "vocational training centers" at an event held at the United Nations in Geneva. /10 cbc.ca/news/world/gen….
In September 2021, he was named XUAR governor, replacing Shohrat Zakir. In December 2021, he was sanctioned by the U.S. government. Recently, in January 2023, he was formally elected as chairman.
home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/…
His anticipated Europe visit is consistent with Beijing's pivot away from a "wolf warrior" to more of a "soft power" diplomacy. He hopes to discuss the "situation in Xinjiang" with European politicians - an overt propaganda ploy.
theguardian.com/world/2023/feb…
For good measure, you can watch Tuniyaz's presentation from summer 2019, where he asserts that re-education camp dormitories are "are fully equipped with radio, TV, telephone, air conditioning, bathroom, and shower."

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More from @adrianzenz

Feb 9
BREAKING: New search tool with 5 million data entries from the #XinjiangPoliceFiles enables Uyghur diaspora & others to search the status of ~730,000 individuals from Xinjiang.

That makes it the *largest searchable dataset* of persons from Xinjiang. /1
xinjiangpolicefiles.org/person_search/ Image
Most of the 700,000+ individuals are from Konasheher and Tekes counties (Uyghur / Kazakh regions), but 9 other counties have data on over 10,000 persons. There is raw data output on persons from 48 counties.

Many thousands are shown to be in camps or prisons. /2 Image
The search results also output ~6,000+ associated images of persons contained the files.

Anyone can search the database using 18 digit PRC ID numbers or names transliterated into Chinese characters. Results can be filtered by county. /2 Image
Read 8 tweets
Sep 1, 2022
Some observations about the UN Xinjiang report: 🧵

1. The report's main method is to use China's own government documents to prove the rights violations. A secondary method is 40 victim interviews. The tone is conservative, the method clearly documented.

ohchr.org/sites/default/…
The report is very conservative in its use of data and the conclusions drawn from it, which, together with using Beijing's own sources, will make it very hard for China to counter or refute it.
The report does have shortcomings - comparatively short and weak sections on forced labor and birth prevention. (The report's strongest sections are on internment and religious freedom).

But its overall cautious and methodical approach makes the report very hard to refute.
Read 8 tweets
Aug 16, 2022
BREAKING: new U.N. Special Rapporteur's Report on Contemporary Forms of Slavery "concludes" that forced labor is taking place in Xinjiang (and mentions similar phenomenon in Tibet): /1
documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/…
STATEMENT: "the Special Rapporteur regards it as reasonable to conclude that forced labour among Uighur, Kazakh and other ethnic minorities...has been occurring in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region" /2
"the Special Rapporteur considers that indicators of forced labour pointing to the involuntary nature of work rendered by affected communities have been present in many cases [refers to ILO indicators]

...some instances may amount to enslavement as a crime against humanity..."/3
Read 9 tweets
May 26, 2022
The #XinjiangPoliceFiles show that the mass internments in Xinjiang were carefully planned & executed w/ Beijing's knowledge, based on a 5-year plan: 2017 to 2021.

We can now ascertain this plan's precise execution until Chen Quanguo's removal in 2021:🧵
chinafile.com/reporting-opin…
This plan was closely built around the person of Chen Quanguo.

In the files, Chen Quanguo admits that Xi Jinping himself "sent me to Xinjiang in order to make a stable Xinjiang arise."

Chen told Xi that he would be willing to be in Xinjiang for 10 years if necessary.
I previously argued that in 2016, Chen immediately hit the ground running, preparing the mass internments through massive police recruitments, the construction of 1000s of police stations, and the expansion of the surveillance apparatus.

Internal files support this assessment.
Read 19 tweets
May 25, 2022
I really think we need to qualify interpretations about Xi vs. Li. Even domestically, the Chinese leadership can tweak messages for different audiences.

Here, having Xi show a different focus vs Li, who speaks to a very targeted foreign audience, is not unexpected. That is
because the state is dealing with conflicting aims and seeks to reassure respective and different constituencies.

While Li may in private disagree with Xi, what he does and says publicly is in line with his official role (focus on economy).

Xi exerts such control that
it is unlikely that in such sensitive times for his leadership, he would tolerate what could be interpreted as actual political dissent. More likely, Li has the blessing to talk differently to reassure related target groups. It is certainly very possible that this role is
Read 4 tweets
May 24, 2022
Images straight from police computers are powerful - especially when they contain so much raw information. Uncropped wide-angle shots show plenty of background, in this case a police officer in SWAT gear, with his baton at the ready. 🧵 Image
In many images including this one, you see detainees in the background, behind bars. Image
With many of the photographed women, you see female minders on their sides. This one wears a tag that says: Vocational Skills Education and Training Center (aka re-education camp). Image
Read 5 tweets

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