Prominent Uighur activist slams China’s tourism campaign, calls it an attempt to cover up Uighur repression

Amid international scrutiny for human rights violations, China is now attempting to present Xinjiang as a tourist hotspot, a strategy driven and funded by the Xi Jinping administration, the exiled East Turkistan government’s foreign affairs and security minister wrote on X News channel.

Recently, China’s Foreign Ministry highlighted that Xinjiang saw significant growth in both tourism numbers and revenue in the first seven months of 2024.

The East Turkistan National Movement, dedicated to highlighting human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, often challenges Beijing’s strategies, including its recent efforts to promote Xinjiang as a tourist destination.

The genocidal Chinese regime is unleashing a flood #EastTurkestan A blatant attempt to hide and whitewash its heinous campaign of colonisation, genocide and occupation with millions of Chinese tourists. This shameless mask is designed to hide the brutal suffering of millions of Chinese people… https://t.co/tkYkVvvWLI

— Salih Hudayar (@SalihHudayar) August 13, 2024

Saleh Hudayar, a prominent activist who has criticised China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims, condemned the portrayal.

In a post on X, Hudayar said, “The genocidal Chinese regime is sending millions of Chinese tourists to East Turkistan to cover up and conceal its heinous campaign of colonisation, genocide and occupation. This shameless façade is meant to hide the brutal suffering of millions of Uighurs and other Turkic peoples. The international community must not be mislead by China’s deceptive propaganda—China must be held accountable and its brutal occupation, Uighur genocide and state terrorism in East Turkistan must be ended immediately.”

East Turkistan is a historical term that has been adopted by various advocacy groups to refer to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

Reports have revealed serious human rights violations in Xinjiang, including the detention of more than one million Uighurs in so-called “re-education camps” or “vocational training centers”, which the Chinese government describes as anti-extremism measures. Additionally, there is significant evidence of cultural and religious repression, such as the destruction of Uighur mosques and cemeteries and restrictions on religious practices.

The region has been described as one of the most surveilled areas in the world, where facial recognition technology and other forms of surveillance are widely used.

In addition, extensive reports and satellite images have emerged revealing the existence of large-scale internment camps in Xinjiang.

The Chinese government calls these facilities “re-education” camps, but international observers and human rights organizations consider them detention centers.