World Uyghur Congress, 21 July 2017

China Launches Racial Profiling Campaign Targeting Uyghurs

According to Radio Free Asia, Chinese authorities in East Turkestan have launched a racial profiling campaign in the region to assess the security threat posed by the non-Han Chinese population in Urumqi. A form was distributed to the residents of Urumqi to collect information and grade individuals based on 10 categories including Between Ages of 15 and 55, Ethnic Uyghur, Unemployed, Possesses Passport, Prays Daily, Possesses Religious Knowledge, Visited [one of] 26 [flagged] Countries, Belated Return to China, Has Association With Foreign Country, and Family With Children Who Are Homeschooled. The campaign reportedly specifically targets the Uyghur population and labels them as more likely to be a security threat, based solely on their ethnicity.

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Thailand Facing Dilemma Over Fate of Ethnic Uyghurs

Thailand is reportedly facing a renewed dilemma over the fate of 62 Uyghur refugees and asylum seekers who have been held in detention centers in the country since 2014, according to Voice of America. The Thai government have been facing renewed pressure from China to return the group to China. Thailand had forcibly returned 109 Uyghurs to China in July 2015. This decision was largely condemned by the international community and many of the Uyghurs who were returned are still imprisoned or have disappeared.

Detained Uyghur Students Held by Egypt’s Intelligence Service

According to Radio Free Asia, the ethnic Uyghur students detained by Egyptian police at risk of being deported to China are now being held by Egypt’s national intelligence service. The involvement of the national intelligence service in this case appears to be a clear indication that China had ordered Egypt to round up the students.