Camps ‘help war on terror’

Beijing has boasted that it has made an ‘‘important contribution’’ to the global war on terrorism with a network of ‘‘deradicalisation’’ camps for Muslims.

At least one million Muslims, mostly Uighurs, Kazakhs, Hui and Kyrgyz, are thought to be held in the heavily guarded camps in the western province of Xinjiang at any time.

China had denied that the camps existed but now robustly defends them. It has rejected claims that they are concentration camps and insists they are necessary to ‘‘cure ideological diseases’’.

The Chinese cabinet has taken a step further, urging the West to ‘‘abandon double standards’’. It said: ‘‘Undoubtedly, China’s antiterror and deradicalisation drives are part of the global antiterrorism campaign and they are important contributions to the global antiterrorism cause.’’

Survivors and witnesses have described treatment inside such facilities.

Activists say that people have been arrested arbitrarily and detained indefinitely against their will. Detainees are often given poor food and kept in cold rooms. Some have been shackled and beaten. One man described being forced to wear a metal suit in which he could not move. Detainees are obliged to learn Chinese characters, sing patriotic songs and study Communist Party doctrine. Muslim families have reported relatives disappearing.

Sam Brownback, the US ambassador for international religious freedom, last week called the situation in Xinjiang ‘‘horrific’’.

Beijing has cast the policy as a programme of re-education. Last week, a senior diplomat told a United Nations human rights panel that the facilities were no different from boarding schools. ‘‘I made a special trip to Xinjiang last month and visited the education and vocational training centres,’’ Le Yucheng, a deputy foreign minister, said. ‘‘The windows are bright and clean. The students are full of laughter and cheers. Their Chinese language proficiency and knowledge of law have noticeably improved. They take delight in practising skills such as sewing, hairdressing, and doing e-commerce.’’

Yesterday’s Cabinet report said that the policy had helped to root out radicals. ‘‘Evil spirits are receding. Radical religious thoughts are being voluntarily boycotted.’’

Last week the governor of Xinjiang said that the region had been free of violence for two years and four months, in contrast to the period between 1990 and 2016, when hundreds of police officers were killed.

The authorities blame the violence in Xinjiang on religious extremism, terrorism and separatism.

Advocacy groups argue that repressive rule has marginalised the 11 million Uighurs and fuelled anger.

The authorities claim to have arrested 12,995 terrorists, eliminated 1588 terrorist groups and seized more than 2000 explosive devices since 2014. They have shut down nearly 5000 unlawful religious activities.

Dilax Raxit, speaking for the World Uyghur Congress, an advocacy group in Munich, said that China was using terrorism to justify its oppressive rule.

– The Times

‘‘Undoubtedly, China’s antiterror and deradicalisation drives are part of the global antiterrorism campaign and they are important contributions to the global antiterrorism cause.’’

China’s Cabinet