China: an unreliable partner in the fight against terrorism

President Obama must remind China of its human rights obligations to the Uyghur people during alleged counter-terror measures

For immediate release
March 30, 2016 02:45pm EST
Contact: Uyghur Human Rights Project +1 (202) 478 1920

As delegates convene for the Nuclear Security Summit 2016 in Washington, DC from March 31 to April 1, the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) emphasizes the unreliability of the Chinese government as a genuine partner in the fight on global terrorism. UHRP also requests that during the U.S.-China bilateral meeting on March 31 United States officials express deep concern over the human rights implications of China’s recent counter-terror measures.

“The 2016 Nuclear Security Summit and the U.S.-China side meeting should not be an occasion for Xi Jinping to grandstand to a domestic audience. Leaders should express their concern over Xi Jinping’s crackdown on civil society in China and escalation of overseas tensions. Furthermore, the legitimization of curbs placed on the fundamental human rights of the Uyghur people in the name of counter-terror must be specifically addressed,” said UHRP Director Alim Seytoff.

Mr. Seytoff added: “The recent counter-terrorism law is a good example of how China has criminalized legitimate dissent. In addition, credible evidence documenting extra-judicial killings during alleged counter-terror operations indicate the Chinese state is in violation of international human rights standards. The Chinese government is leveraging the fight against terrorism as a means to silence peaceful Uyghur opposition to repressive policies.”

The Nuclear Security Summit is a multi-lateral forum established to prevent the development of nuclear terrorism. Historically, The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been an unpredictable partner in countering nuclear terrorism. Although Chinaplayed a role in the 2015 “Iran Nuclear Deal,” the Nuclear Threat Initiative and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace have documented Chinese government transfers of nuclear and missile technology to Iran since the 1990s. The U.S. government placed Iran on a list of State Sponsors of Terrorism in 1984.

China’s misuse of nuclear technology, particularly through 45 atmospheric and underground nuclear weapons tests in East Turkestan between 1964 and 1996, have had wide ranging public health and environmental consequences for the Uyghur people. In spite of repeated Uyghur protests and international concerns, the Chinese government so far has neither acknowledged nor addressed the devastating public health and environmental effects of its nuclear tests.

The PRC’s actions invite skepticism over its domestic “terror” policies as well. A Counter-Terrorism Law adopted by China effective as of January 1, 2016 has drawn criticism from human rights groups and academics primarily for its broad definition of “terrorism.”

A representative of Amnesty International said the outline of “terrorism” made in the new legislation “could include any criticism of policies, laws and regulations…[and] give the authorities even more tools in censoring unwelcome information and crafting their own narrative in how the ‘war on terror’ is being waged.”

James Leibold , senior lecturer in Chinese politics at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia told CNN the Chinese government are “using the pretext of what is occurring globally as efforts to increase their control over the domestic population…the definition of terrorism is quite vague and open-ended and if we look at how Chinese officials and the media have used the terrorism tag in the past, it’s chiefly applied to the Uyghurs as well as the Tibetans.”

In addition to concerns over the vaguely worded definition of “terrorism,” UHRP expressed further alarming implications of the Counter-Terrorism Law in a February 1, 2016 document . This included restrictions placed on reporting “terror incidents” and lack of oversight over state security forces.

China prevents and punishes commentary, domestic and foreign, critical of its repressive policies and “counter-terror” measures in the region. The cases of Uyghur academic Ilham Tohti, Xinjiang Daily editor Zhao Xinwei and French reporter Ursula Gautier demonstrate Beijing’s zero tolerance for such questioning.

In May 2014, credible allegations emerged detailing how Chinese police opened fire on peaceful Uyghur demonstrators in Alaqagha, Aksu Prefecture. UHRP believes incidents such as the one in Alaqagha merit further investigation, as do reliable claims of state violence employed in Hanerik (June 2013), Seriqbuya (April 2013) and Elishku (July 2014).