China's infamous detention camps for Uyghurs uncovered; 18 centres spread across 8 cities

In latest proof of Chinese government’s atrocities against Muslim ethnic minority of Uyghurs, a 20-minute video has been released by a bespectacled young journalist who calls himself Guanguan. video, which emerged on social media earlier this month, appears to confirm China’s vast network of concentration camps used for globally criticised clampdown on Uyghurs. activist shot video secretly and documented concentration camps with one of m showing slogans such as “reform through labour.”

Exploring street in Chinese city of Urumqi, activist tried to look like a tourist and according to video, with English subtitles, he was scared of being spotted by Chinese guards. It is also pertinent to note that foreign journalists are not allowed in remote areas of Asian country. refore, being a Chinese national, Guanguan tried to explore region which is not often visited by holidaymakers with a hidden camera in his backpack.

While Chinese Communist Party has dismissed criticism over camps and has labelled m as ‘re-education’ centres, United Nations has estimated around a million Uyghurs are detained in camps in Xinjiang province. Guanguan, as per Daily Mail report, was well aware of fact that he would face terrible punishment if he was caught by police for attempting to uncover communist regime’s genocidal atrocities that include holding estimated millions of such secretive centres. 

Guan h reportedly cycled around region two years ago and learnt about camps along with banning of Uyghur language in schools and slave labour. On discovering that foreign journalists were banned from carrying out any sort of investigation, man decided to return to document alleged repression. 

Guan visited eight cities, discovered 18 camps

During his high-risk trip in region, Guan visited eight cities and found at least 18 camps including one massive detention centre of about 1,000 yards, which also h slogans such as ‘Reform Through Labour.’ As per video and media report, many were unmarked on maps. However, he managed to film barbed wire, guard towers, police checkpoints, army barracks and even military vehicles along with signs and walkways inside huge walls of camps. 

Following his trip, Guan shared stunning footage that poses a fresh challenge to China’s communist regime which has long maintained veil of ‘re-education' centres. He posted video on YouTube. Daily Mail quoted Lianchao Han, a leing dissident as saying, “This shows how Xinjiang has become world’s biggest gulag, with an economy based largely on forced labour in a network of mega prisons, detention centres and concentration camps under a regime that relies on terror...This ds to solid and increasing evidence of China’s atrocities.”

What inspired Guan?

report cited a source saying Guan is thought to be a pseudonym for a Chinese activist studying in Taiwan. He was reportedly inspired by reports on Buzzfeed news site that used satellite pictures to identify 268 possible internment compounds built since 2017. Guan says in video, “ only photos published on website are images of satellite maps. Where are specific buildings that are marked? What do y look like in real life? What are ir surroundings like? With se questions in mind, I went to Xinjiang again.”

He also mitted in clip that he felt, ‘panic in his heart’ since he knew that he could land himself in concentration camp himself if caught filming prisons or even processing video footage of detention centres. 

Guan’s or findings

While walking around Xinshi district of Urumqi, regional capital, he documented scores of surveillance cameras spre among trees on pavement. Among or findings, he also spotted red and white striped fortifications on ro and internment centres set behind metal fences with coiled barbed wire on top, on left and right. 

While driving past or detention centres which are believed to hold thousands of people behind high white walls, he found one prison attached to huge factories in same district. This prison was among six such establishments sitting close toger detected on satellite imagery. Guan said in clip, “re are many concentration camps, all of which have watchtowers manned by guards.”

He documented entering a park and climbing to top of a hill to film anor detention centre and said, “ building has protruding glass skylights...Presumably, detainees are only allowed let out from ir cells to walk around inside building.” To furr know insights, Guan even crawled on his belly along a sand berm in a barren area south of city to show sprawling new unit. media outlet stated that new internment centre in Dabancheng was built to hold at least 10,000 more citizens alongside an existing camp. 

He also travelled to city of Korla and said that a number of military vehicles show a lot of ‘SS soldiers’ which is Guan’s term for Chinese troops. He filmed two tanks standing in front of barracks. His final stop, as shown in video is one hour’s drive from Yanqi, where he spotted anor such centre and said, “It is not easy to notice from ro.”

Here's video:

(IMAGE: AP)