US’ Pompeo slams China for treatment of Muslim Uighurs

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed China on Saturday for its treatment of minority Muslim Uighur population, calling for “respect and protect religious freedom”.

“From #Tibet to #Xinjiang, the Chinese Communist Party's repressive campaigns are not about combating terrorism,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter.

“The #CCP is attempting to erase its own citizens’ faiths and cultures. All societies must respect and protect religious freedom,” he added.

China’s western Xinjiang region is home to 10 million Uighurs. The Turkic Muslim group, which makes up around 45% of Xinjiang’s population, has long accused Chinese authorities of cultural, religious and economic discrimination.

China is accused of carrying out repressive policies against the Uighurs and restraining religious, commercial and cultural rights.

Up to 1 million people, or about 7% of the Muslim population in Xinjiang, have been incarcerated in an expanding network of “political re-education” camps, according to U.S. officials and UN experts.

In a report last September, Human Rights Watch accused China of carrying out a “systematic campaign of human rights violations” against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

China denies the charges, claiming Uighurs are being educated in "vocational training centers."