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Xinjiang Police Files

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Xinjiang Police Files
Zenz's article on the Xinjiang Police Files
Location China: Konasheher County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
TypeData breach
TargetXinjiang internment camps
ParticipantsAdrian Zenz
Anonymous hackers
Websitewww.xinjiangpolicefiles.org
Photo collection of "students" and extensive background information

The Xinjiang Police Files are leaked documents from the Xinjiang internment camps, forwarded to anthropologist Adrian Zenz from an anonymous source. On May 24, 2022, an international consortium of 14 media groups[a] published information about the files, which consist of over 10 gigabytes of speeches, images, spreadsheets and protocols dating back to 2018.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

The Xinjiang Police Files were published at the same time as the UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet started her visit to China on May 23. Her briefing included exploring the situation of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as part of the visit.[3]

Background

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According to estimates by U.N. and U.S. officials, one million Uyghurs and other Turkic groups were held in Chinese government camps in 2018.[7] The existence of China's "re-education" and an extrajudicial program for mass detention were first detected in satellite photos, and testimonies from Uyghur refugees.[7] The documents of the leak were collected during the mass detention program's highest level of intensity.[7]

Initially, China denied the existence of Xinjiang camps; in 2018, the Chinese government started referring to the camps as "vocational training schools", and that attendance was voluntary.[8] China has also referred to the system as a "de-radicalization" program.[9]

A previous investigation into Xinjiang by a large group of media organisations occurred in 2019, and was released under the name China Cables. This leak, based on classified Chinese government documents, exposed the operations manual for Xinjiang detention camps and the region's system of mass surveillance.[7] The Xinjiang Police Files leak is the second major data leak related to Xinjiang, after more than 400 pages of internal documents were leaked in 2019.[8]

The Xinjiang Police Files documents were obtained by Adrian Zenz, a senior fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, who subsequently shared the documents with a group of 14 news organizations.[7] According to Zenz, the files were made available through a "hacking attack directly on police computers and even computers in detention camps" and from public security bureau computer systems in Ili and Kashgar governorates in Xinjiang.[1] The data was evaluated over several weeks by joint research by the media consortium and partially checked for authenticity.[10][5]

The leak coincided with the first visit by a U.N. human rights diplomat since 2005.[11] According to Zenz, the timing was not intentional.[8]

Contents

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The Xinjiang Police Files contain thousands of pictures and documents from the Xinjiang counties of Konasheher and Tekes,[7] and contains details of the internment of more than 20,000 Uyghurs.[12] The files contradict China's official reading that the mass internment facilities are "professional training facilities" visited voluntarily,[2][4][3][10][13][14] which served to fight poverty and were directed against extremist ideas.[3]

According to media reports, these Chinese government data, classified as "confidential" or "internal," including thousands of analyzed documents, photos, transcripts of speeches by senior party officials, official orders, and training materials, showed the extent of the persecution and mass detentions in Xinjiang in 2018.

As of May 2022, the Xinjiang Police Files were the most comprehensive publicized leak on the state re-education camps in Xinjiang.[5][15] Zenz wrote a journal article based on the contents of the files, titled The Xinjiang Police Files: Re-Education Camp Security and Political Paranoia in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region published in the Journal of the European Association for Chinese Studies on May 24.[16][17]

Documents

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The documents in the leak include confidential government documents, as well as speeches by top Chinese officials, and internal police documents and tutorials.[7]

Two documents from June 2018 are transcripts of speeches by Zhao Kezhi and Chen Quanguo.[7] One document, marked "confidential", outlines what surveillance measures are to be implemented in Yili during a visit of European diplomats, and directed security officers to "strictly" monitor their contacts and work.[7] The files include details of protocols governing policing at the facilities, making it clear that there are armed officers throughout the camps, and that watchtowers contain machine gun posts and sniper rifles.[12]

In the protocols, blindfolds, handcuffs and shackles are specified for any transfers of detainees, either between facilities or externally, for example to hospital.[12] The leak also details a "shoot-to-kill" policy for anyone trying to escape.[11] This was issued by Chen Quanguo, in his role as Xinjiang's party secretary and member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party at the time in 2018.[13] Chen also called for officials to "exercise firm control over religious believers".[8]

Another document, labeled among the "most striking" by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), are spreadsheets containing information on 8,000 detainees in Konasheher.[7] According to the leak, at least one of the camps in Konasheher has cells for holding detainees in solitary confinement, and the documents indicate that more than 10,000 people in Konasheher county were recommended for detention, or closer examination, via the Integrated Joint Operations Platform.[7] The files include a list titled "relatives of the detained", which, taken with other information, indicates widespread use of "guilt by association".[12] One 16 year old was apparently held captive due to being related to other detained persons.[8]

One document is a spreadsheet titled "persons subjected to strike hard because of religion"; it lists 330 people sentenced because of religious activities deemed illegal, such as studying the Quran.[18]

Images

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Among the pictures included in the leak are mugshots of over 2,800 people, with some of the pictures showing "dazed men, women and teenagers staring blankly into camera".[7] In total, the set contains 5,074 mugshots photographed between January and July 2018, possibly to collect biometric data.[7] According to Zenz's analysis, about 2,900 had been detained before the pictures were taken, and range from 15 and 73 in age.[7][12] 15 of the detainees were minors.[7]

Besides mugshots, other images are included. Among them are pictures of interrogations, with one photo showing a young man with hands and feet shackled to a "tiger chair", surrounded by heavily armored guards.[7]

Anomalies found on the edges of the mugshots, particularly the bottom edge, were addressed in a BBC report on the files stating that the images were rotated to allow for better integration in facial recognition software.[19]

Reactions

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According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the leak is "irrefutable evidence of the highly militarized nature of the camps and present a stark contrast with those, previously published, that were taken on government-organized press tours", as well as stating that "taken together, the photographs and documents refute the Chinese government's claims that the camps are merely 'educational centers'".[7]

The Chinese government has denied accusations of human rights violations, calling them "fabricated lies and disinformation", and stating what they call "training centers" are used to aid poverty and "de-radicalize" extremists.[7] Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C., told ICIJ that "Xinjiang has taken a host of decisive, robust and effective deradicalization measures".[7] Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called the leak "the latest example of anti-China forces trying to smear China", stating "[i]t is just a repetition of their old tricks. Spreading rumours and lies won't cloud the judgment of the world and cannot cover up the fact that Xinjiang enjoys stability and prosperity, and residents there are living happy and fulfilling lives".[18]

On May 23, 2022, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss asked for "unfettered access to the region so that [Bachelet] can conduct a thorough assessment of the facts on the ground".[20] She also stated that the leaked files contained "shocking details of China's human rights violations"[11]

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock called for a transparent investigation after “shocking reports and new evidence of very serious human rights violations in Xinjiang”.[11] German minister of the economy Robert Habeck called the latest leak "particularly shocking".[11]

On May 29, 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said "genocide and crimes against humanity are ongoing" in Xinjiang province, and that China "restricted and manipulated" UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet's visit.[21] Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted: "Horrified by the Xinjiang Police Files, which spotlight China's mass incarceration of Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities."[11]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 14 media companies:

References

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  1. ^ a b "Menschenrechte: Neue Belege für Chinas brutale Unterdrückung der Uiguren". dw.com. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Fotos aus staatlichen Umerziehungslagern, vertrauliche Anweisungen und andere Papiere zeigen die Internierung Hunderttausender Uiguren in Xinjiang im Nordwesten Chinas. Internationale Medien werteten die Dokumente aus
  2. ^ a b "Kurz vor UN-Besuch in Xinjiang Datenleck liefert neue Beweise für Chinas brutale Internierung von Uiguren" [Shortly before UN visit to Xinjiang: data leak provides new evidence of China's brutal internment of Uyghurs]. tagesspiegel.de. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022. [camps, torture, orders to shoot: The "Xinjiang Police Files" are intended to show how China oppresses Uyghurs. The Federal Foreign Minister calls for clarification]
  3. ^ a b c d "Xinjiang Police Files: New data leak gives insight into mass internment of Uyghurs in China". derstandard.de. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022. The German China expert Adrian Zenz was leaked thousands of secret documents anonymously. DER SPIEGEL and other media are now evaluating the explosive information
  4. ^ a b "Datenleck liefert offenbar weitere Belege für Internierung von Uiguren in China" [Xinjiang Police Files : Data leak apparently provides further evidence of the internment of Uyghurs in China]. deutschlandfunk.de. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022. Shortly before UN Human Rights Commissioner Bachelet's visit to Xinjiang, an international media consortium published further evidence of the mass internment of Uyghurs in China. The Bavarian Radio and the "Spiegel" were involved in the research
  5. ^ a b c Grüll, Philipp; Mader, Fabian; Tanriverdi, Hakan (May 24, 2022). "Umgang mit Uiguren: Bilder des Grauens" [Dealing with Uyghurs: Images of horror]. tagesschau.de. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Erstmals zeigen Bilder, wie brutal China die Minderheit der Uiguren in der Region Xinjiang unterdrückt. Die Aufnahmen sind Teil eines umfassenden Leaks, das der BR mit weiteren Medienpartnern ausgewertet hat [For the first time, images show how brutally China oppresses the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region. The recordings are part of a comprehensive leak that BR has evaluated with other media partners]
  6. ^ Mader, Fabian; Grüll, Philipp; Tanriverdi, Hakan (May 24, 2022). "xinjiang-police-files" [#Xinjiang•Police•Files: The trail to the camps]. interaktiv.br.de. Retrieved May 25, 2022. For the first time, pictures from Xinjiang show how China deals with the Uyghur minority. The data comes from an anonymous source. The international team of reporters has extensively checked the data set, from satellite images to calls to police officers
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Alecci, Scilla (May 24, 2022). "The faces of China's detention camps in Xinjiang". icij.org. International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e Al Jazeera Staff (May 24, 2022). "Xinjiang leak reveals extent of Chinese abuses in Uighur camps". al Jazeera. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Watson, Ivan; Westcott, Ben. "Watched, judged, detained". CNN. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Grüll, Philipp; Mader, Fabian; Tanriverdi, Hakan (May 24, 2022). "So wurden die Daten geprüft" ["Xinjiang Police Files": This is how the data was checked]. tagesschau.de. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Thousands of photos and documents are intended to show how China treats the Uigu repressed. But is the material authentic? BR, "Spiegel" and other media checked the "Xinjiang Police Files". This is how they did it
  11. ^ a b c d e f Ni, Vincent (May 25, 2022). "Thousands of detained Uyghurs pictured in leaked Xinjiang police files". Guardian. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Sudworth, John (May 24, 2022). "The faces from China's Uyghur detention camps". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Benedikt Voigt, Cornelius Dieckmann (May 24, 2022). ""Erst töten, dann melden" Die "Xinjiang Police Files" enthüllen das Ausmaß der Uiguren-Verfolgung" ["First kill, then report": The "Xinjiang Police Files" reveal the extent of the Uyghur persecution]. tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Demnach soll Chen Quanguo, der frühere Parteichef von Xinjiang, 2018 einen Schießbefehl für flüchtende Häftlinge erteilt haben: "Erst töten, dann melden." [According to this, Chen Quanguo, the former party leader of Xinjiang, is said to have issued an order to shoot escaping prisoners in 2018: "First kill, then report."]
  14. ^ "Internierung, Folter, Schießbefehl" [Uyghurs in China: Internment, torture, order to shoot]. orf.at. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  15. ^ "Neue Belege für Chinas brutale Unterdrückung der Uiguren" [Human rights: New evidence of China's brutal repression of Uyghurs]. dw.com. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Photos from government re-education camps, confidential instructions and other papers show the detention of hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, northwest China. International media evaluated the documents
  16. ^ Zenz, Adrian (May 24, 2022). "The Xinjiang Police Files: Re-Education Camp Security and Political Paranoia in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region". The Journal of the European Association for Chinese Studies. 3 (online first): 1–56. doi:10.25365/jeacs.2022.3.zenz. ISSN 2709-9946.
  17. ^ Kuo, Lily; Cadell, Cate (May 25, 2022). "Trove of damning Xinjiang police files leaked as U.N. rights chief visits China". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Sarkar, Alisha Rahaman (May 25, 2022). "Leaked photos from Xinjiang include mugshots of Uyghurs detained for expressing faith". Independent. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "The faces from China's Uyghur detention camps". BBC News. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  20. ^ "UK, US and Germany say Xinjiang Police Files offer 'shocking' new evidence of China's human rights abuses - ICIJ". ICIJ. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  21. ^ Guy Taylor (May 29, 2022). "Blinken says China hid evidence of genocide during U.N. official's Xinjiang visit". The Washington Times. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  22. ^ Ingram, Ruth (March 2, 2023). "A search engine for disappeared Uyghurs". The China Project. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  23. ^ Grüll, Philipp; Mader, Fabian; Tanriverdi, Hakan (May 24, 2022). "Fotos enthüllen Grauen in chinesischen Internierungslagern" [Photos reveal horrors in Chinese internment camps]. br.de. Retrieved May 24, 2022. For the first time, pictures show how brutally China is suppressing the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region.The recordings are part of a comprehensive leak that BR has evaluated with Der Spiegel, BBC News and numerous other media partners
  24. ^ John Sudworth, Visual Journalism Team (May 24, 2022). "Xinjiang Police Files: Inside a Chinese internment camp". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved May 24, 2022. The highly coercive and potentially lethal systems of control used against minority groups in China's internment camps have been revealed in a giant cache of secret documents shared with the BBC
  25. ^ Alexander Epp; Christoph Giesen; Roman Höfner; Lina Moreno; Frederik Obermaier; Bastian Obermayer; Dawood Ohdah; Matthias Stahl; Achim Tack; Bernhard Zand (May 24, 2022). "Datenleak gibt einzigartigen Einblick in Chinas brutalen Unterdrückungsapparat" [torture chair, order to shoot, assault rifles: data leak gives unique insight into China's brutal suppression apparatus]. spiegel.de. Retrieved May 24, 2022. The Chinese state is said to have around one million in re-education camps Interned Uyghurs: The Xinjiang Police Files now give names and faces to this system. They show never-before-seen pictures from inside
  26. ^ Óscar Gutiérrez, Patricia R. Blanco (May 24, 2022). "Xinjiang Police Files: Secret police files put a face to China's repression in Xinjiang: Child prisoners and 'shoot to kill' orders". english.elpais.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022. A leak of confidential documents has revealed the scale of the prison system against the Uyghur Muslim minority
  27. ^ Scilla Alecci (May 24, 2022). "Xinjiang Police Files: The faces of China's detention camps in Xinjiang". www.icij.org. Retrieved May 25, 2022. A new leak of Chinese government records reveals thousands of never-before seen mug shots of Uyghurs and other photos from inside the notorious internment camps, as well as new details of the national mass detention program
  28. ^ Nathalie Guibert (May 24, 2022). "'Xinjiang Police Files': Exclusive documents reveal China's machine of repression against the Uyghurs". lemonde.fr. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Investigation: The 'Xinjiang Police Files' are thousands of Chinese police documents handed over to researcher Adrian Zenz and exclusively published by a group of international media including 'Le Monde.' They reveal the obsession with security in Uyghur internment camps, which Beijing claims are training centers
  29. ^ Deirdre Shesgreen (May 24, 2022). "Xinjiang Police Files: A hacker, a researcher and thousands of photos: Inside China's secret Uyghur detention system". eu.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022. Beijing's incarceration of ethnic minorities is creating a slow-motion genocide, experts say. An exclusive new report offers a look inside
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