Uyghur Foreign Travel Vlogs Likely a Feature of Chinese Government Propaganda

June 7, 2023 | Polygraph.info | By Liam Scott

But these recent travel vlogs are putting forth a new narrative — that Uyghurs can travel freely. The goal of this narrative, like the rest of the propaganda, is to whitewash Beijing’s human rights abuses, according to Zubayra Shamseden, who works at the Uyghur Human Rights Project, or UHRP.

“I was really shocked,” Shamseden told VOA, speaking about when she first viewed Seherdin vlogging from the airport about his trip to Turkey. That was mainly because the notion that Uyghurs can freely leave China is completely at odds with reality.

“So how does that square with these people going abroad, vlogging from an airport? It just doesn’t,” said Peter Irwin, who works with Shamseden at the UHRP.

Shamseden said China’s frequent use of Uyghurs and Uyghur voices to whitewash reported abuses is common — and disturbing.

“To me, it’s alarming as well as very painful to hear Uyghurs say that the genocide is not happening to them,” Shamseden said.

It’s unclear whether the Uyghurs in the videos were forced to create them, Shamseden said. But she added that they were likely coerced.

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