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Documents leaked from China reveal the systematic brainwashing, use of torture and brainwashing of the Muslim population in China. This is suppression of human rights. It is the website ICIJ (International Network of Investigative Journalism) that writes this. The abuse is against China’s Uighurs.

The Uighurs live mainly in East Turkistan in the northwestern part of the country.

Suppression of Uighurs

This is not the first time that repression of the Muslim population in China has been reported. VG wrote an article about this in August 2018. A number of human rights organizations have also reported on this for a long time.

The goal for China is to curb Muslim extremism. The authorities believe that rebels and separatists in East Turkistan are a serious threat.

Concentration camps for repression

The documents show how China has set up secret camps where the purpose is to get Uighurs and other minorities to change their behavior and way of thinking.

Documents show that brainwashing and torture are used. These documents also show how the authorities instructed those who worked there to keep the camps hidden from the public. The instructions state, among other things, that the prison camps are to be run as high-risk prisons with punishments and zero tolerance for escapes. The documents show how the inmates are totally monitored and controlled.

Ben Emmerson, who is an adviser to the World Uyghur Congress, says the camps are trying to change people’s identity.

We must dare to speak up

Norway had a bad relationship with China for a long time. The reason was the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 to Liu Xiaobo for his non-violent struggle for central human rights in China. This was not well received and China introduced sanctions against Norway. So after several years in utter darkness as far as friendship with China is concerned, something is happening. Norway and China find together again that the price Norway must pay is a guarantee of “never provoking China again”. Such an agreement benefits Norwegian exports to China, but is a betrayal of the most central of our values.

On the extreme left wing of Norwegian politics there is a small group of people. These shout loudly every time there is a violation of human rights in Western countries. The silence is similarly striking with violations of human rights in a number of other countries. I asked some questions in a blog some time ago to these people on the extreme left wing.

Norway must show China that violations of central human rights are completely unacceptable, the price may be some loss of exports in the short term. The gain will be far greater in the slightly longer term.