In 2022, The World Must Hold China to Account for Genocide

December 31, 2021 | The Diplomat | By Omer Kanat

On December 25, 2021, Chen Quanguo was replaced as the Chinese Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. For some observers, this might be seen as a Christmas present from the Chinese government, indicating a possible shift away from the hardline policies in the region. Uyghurs are not so naive. We know that Chen’s replacement, Ma Xingrui, a party technocrat who was the governor of Guangdong before his new appointment, will not bring any relief for peoples targeted for genocide.

What was most confusing in the reactions to the leadership change was the absence of calls for Chen to face accountability. To me, and many other Uyghurs, Chen Quanguo’s name is synonymous with genocide. Speculation about the end of Chen’s rule of terror is beside the point. What matters is the pursuit of justice for Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples who have been disappeared, interned, jailed, sterilized, tortured, and murdered.  

Read the full op-ed here: https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/in-2022-the-world-must-hold-china-to-account-for-genocide/