World Uyghur Congress urges global action after Chinese ex-police officer's testimony alleges repression in Xinjiang

Munich [Germany], April 19 : The World Uyghur Congress has called on the international community to take action following new testimony from a former Chinese police officer, which it says sheds light on the continued system of repression in China's Xinjiang region.

In a press release, the organisation cited a recent investigation by news outlet Der Spiegel detailing the account of Zhang Yabo, who reportedly spent nearly a decade working within China's security apparatus in the Hotan region. According to the WUC, Zhang served in various roles between 2014 and 2023, including in detention facilities and local policing structures.

The group said Zhang oversaw the forced transfer of Uyghur men and women to state-mandated labour assignments, including cotton harvesting under police supervision, practices that Beijing has previously denied. After leaving China and fleeing to Europe last year, Zhang reportedly contacted the WUC in Munich and shared detailed accounts of his experiences.

"The revelation and courage of Zhang Yabo confirm to the entire world that denying or hesitating to take action against China is no longer possible. These abuses are continuing; in fact, they have never stopped," WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun said, as quoted in the statement.

The WUC said Zhang's testimony indicates that repression in the region has not ended but has been "reengineered." It is alleged that while earlier policies relied on visible mass detention, authorities have since shifted toward more concealed mechanisms.

The statement linked this shift to policy changes under Ma Xingrui, who became Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang in December 2021, replacing Chen Quanguo. According to the WUC, rather than dismantling existing systems, authorities restructured them, reducing overt policing tactics while maintaining detention quotas and expanding the use of formal prisons.

Citing Zhang's account, the organisation said detainees released from reeducation camps were often transferred directly into the prison system, creating what it described as a "carceral pipeline." It added that Zhang estimated more than half of the detainees in his jurisdiction received lengthy prison sentences.

The WUC also pointed to official statistics indicating that more than 500,000 people were imprisoned across the region between 2017 and 2021, describing this as evidence of the scale of the system.

According to the press release, Zhang described working under a coercive system in which officers were required to meet detention and labour-transfer quotas, with those who complied receiving incentives while others faced pressure or penalties. The group said Zhang resisted participating in acts of excessive brutality, which resulted in professional repercussions.

The statement further highlighted the personal risks associated with Zhang's decision to speak out, noting that he left behind family members in China who could face surveillance or retaliation. It described this as part of a broader pattern in which authorities allegedly use family members to silence dissent.

The WUC said Zhang's testimony adds to what it described as a growing body of evidence of ongoing human rights violations against Uyghurs. It also commended his decision to come forward despite personal risks and called on others with knowledge of such practices to do the same.

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