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The Human Rights of Xinjiang People of All Ethnic Groups Are Well Protected by Law

  By Shoket Imin,Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

  Terrorism and extremism are the common enemy of the humanity. Removing the tumor of terrorism and extremism, safeguarding people's dignity and values, and protect people's rights to life, subsistence, and development are the obligation of any responsible government all over the world.

  For many years, influenced by extremism, terrorist attacks and related incidents have caused heavy casualties and property damage in many countries and regions across the world. World peace is under serious threat, and the future of humanity is overshadowed. Like many countries and regions in the world, Xinjiang was deep in the suffering from terrorism and religious extremism, which posed severe threats to people's life and security. From the early 20th century to the late 1940s, separatists and religious extremist forces, spreading "Pan-Turkism" and "Pan-Islamism”, attempted to create a theocratic state they called "East Turkistan" in Xinjiang. In an attempt to split China, such forces advocated religious extremism and carried out a series of terrorist activities. For years, religious extremism continued to make inroads into Xinjiang, resulting in incidents of terrorism. Terrorists' evil acts severely undermined Xinjiang's stability and harmony, and unity and development, seriously trampled on the fundamental human rights of Xinjiang people of all ethnic groups, and caused large number of deaths of innocent people and inflicted immeasurable property damage. To strengthen their psychological control over religious believers, extremist forces have incited people to boycott the standard spoken and written Chinese language and reject modern science. They act in accordance with fabricated "religious law" and "domestic discipline", and defy the Constitution and state laws. They deceive religious believers into rejecting the kind of vocational skills training by which they can improve their economic conditions and their capacity for self-improvement.

  Faced with this stern, complex counter-terrorism situation and the call of the people for stability and security, Xinjiang, drawing on the experience of the international community on counter-terrorism and de-radicalization, has actively responded to the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy by upholding the principle of combating a handful of violent terrorist crimes according to law and addressing the root cause of terrorism. Departing from its realities, Xinjiang has adopted a series of counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures including vocational education and training, in an effort to effectively curb frequent terrorist activities, safeguard social stability, and defend the bottom line of civilization, so as to best ensure people's basic rights to life, subsistence and development. Xinjiang has achieved victories in countering terrorism and extremism, which contributes to the regional and world's effort in combating terrorism.

  Xinjiang holds high the banner of the rule of law at all times: firmly uphold the authority of the Constitution, employ law-based thinking and approach to handling problems, and the education and training according to facts and law. In recent years, in line with the National Security law of the people’s Republic of China, Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, Counter-terrorism Law of the People’s Republic of China, and Regulations on Religious Affairs, Xinjiang has enacted and revised, in accordance with legal procedures, two local regulations—the Measures of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Implementing the Counter-terrorism Law of the People’s Republic of China, and the Regulations of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on De-radicalization. The laws stipulate that terrorism is not ethnic nor religious issues. It opposes linking counter terrorism and de-radicalization with specific ethnic groups or religions. It respects for citizens’ customs, traditions and religious freedom. We punish a small number of people severely, while unite, educate and rehabilitate the majority in accordance with the law. People who were incited, coerced or induced into participating in terrorist or extremist activities, or people who participated in terrorist or extremist activities in circumstances that were not serious enough to constitute a crime; People who were incited, coerced or induced into participating in terrorist or extremist activities, or people who participated in terrorist or extremist activities that posed a real danger but did not cause actual harm, whose subjective culpability was not deep, who acknowledged their offences and were contrite about their past actions and thus do not need to be sentenced to or can be exempted from punishment, and who have demonstrated the willingness to receive training; People who were convicted and received prison sentence for terrorist or extremist crimes and after serving their sentences, have been assessed as still posing a potential threat to society, and who have been ordered by people’s courts in according with the law to receive education at the centers. These people will receive vocational education and training free of charge to raise their awareness of the national identity, citizenship and law, and improve their communication and vocational skills. Education and training avoid them becoming victims of terrorism and extremism. Moreover, it protects their basic civil rights. The practice conforms to the basic principles of international efforts in countering terrorism and extremism, and accords with the fundamental interests and needs of the peoples all around the world.

  The vocational education and training centers which are set up in accordance with the law are educational institutions in nature, and managed in line with laws and regulations, school norms and humane principles. On the basis of fully ensuring the trainees’ fundamental rights, including personal freedom, personality dignity, ethnic customs, right of using their mother tongues, religious freedom, etc., the centers uphold the principles of save rather than punishment, care instead of disdain to help and educate them. To remedy their lack of proficiency in national language, tailored language programs are provided to improve the trainees’ ability of using standard spoken and written Chinese under the precondition of full respect the rights of using their own spoken and written languages as prescribed by the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Regional Ethnic Autonomy and the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language. With the help of the necessary language tool, the trainees would be capable of learning knowledge of science and liberal arts, skills for communication with people of other ethnic groups, and prepare themselves better for the modern lives. After all, as Chinese citizens, learning standard spoken and written Chinese is nothing but compulsory for them. To remedy a lack of understanding of the law, the education and training centers present legal courses to strengthen their understanding of civic rights and responsibilities, establish their concepts of equal rights and equal obligations, and enhance their self- awareness of abiding by the Constitution and other national laws. To remedy lack of occupational skills and employment difficulties, vocational skills training programs are provided to ensure every one could grasp one or two skills before completion of their training courses in the centers. As they have fallen under the influence and control of religious extremism to a greater or lesser extent, the centers integrate de-radicalization into the whole process of education and training to help the trainees realize the evil nature and serious harm of terrorism and religious extremism so that they could eventually break free from their influence and control. The education and training centers employ bilingual teachers, instructors, doctors and logistics and managerial staff to ensure that all trainees can study and lead a normal life. They have well equipped facilities for their spiritual and cultural needs, such as legal affairs counseling room, psychological counseling room, etc. A wealth of regular recreation activities is held at their indoor and outdoor sports and cultural venues. All trainees are included in public pension and medical insurance schemes, and are entitled to free health examination.

  As the vocational education and training program effectively rolls out and progresses, the majority of the trainees have reached the training requirements and successfully graduated. Through the program, the trainees have shaken off the shackles of extremism and gradually got rid of the spiritual control of terrorism and extremism. They have also obtained tools for acquiring modern knowledge and information, learned practical skills for finding jobs and regained a peaceful life. Some of the graduates voluntarily applied for jobs in enterprises, others started their own businesses. So far, Xinjiang has seen no single case of violent terrorist attack for 36 months in a row, as the infiltration of religious extremism has been effectively contained. Now we have regained stable society, rapidly growing economy, ethnic unity and religious harmony. The people are living a stable and happy life, and every lines of business and industry is robust. People’s sense of fulfillment, happiness and security has remarkably enhanced. At the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council, representatives from multiple countries have given positive recognition of Xinjiang’s achievements in protecting human rights, combating terrorism and de-radicalization. At a session of the 3rd committee of UN General Assembly on Oct. 29th, 54 countries issued a joint statement that made positive comments on the effectiveness of Xinjiang’s counterterrorism and de-radicalization effort and noted that these measures have turned the security situation around and protected the essential human rights of the people of all ethnic groups in the region. It also opposes the concerned countries’ attempt to politicize human right issues and the behavior of criticizing other countries by naming them and publicly exerting pressure on them, and calls on the concerned countries to stop making groundless accusations against China. Since the end of 2018, more than 1,000 foreigners from over 90 countries and regions have made field visits to vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang, and quite a number of media at home and abroad have reported the truth. Many people of insight have expressed that the vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang are completely in line with the UN purpose and principle of preventive counterterrorism and basic human right protection, and worthy of full recognition as well as learning and reference.

  Recently, a small number of foreign countries and media have selectively kept their eyes closed on the facts out of their ideological bias and ulterior aim of double standards, confounded black and white, distorted facts and made erroneous statements that are baseless and deviate from the truth. They defamed the vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang, attempted to deny Xinjiang’s enormous efforts in combating terrorism and extremism as well as its impressive achievements in human right protection. To this, the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang will never ever agree and will resolutely oppose. These people’s words and deeds seriously violate international morality and human conscience, and are despised by all good and just people. They only made the world see their double standards and hypocrisy again. As for whether Xinjiang has done its work well, it is the Xinjiang people themselves and the facts of stability and peace in the region that have the final say, but not outsiders. We strongly urge these people to cast off tinted spectacles, cut out the hypocrisy, quit backing the "East Turkistan" violent terrorist and separatist forces, and immediately stop smearing and attacking Xinjiang with rumors.

  Since the People’s Republic of China was founded 70 years ago, the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have fostered, developed and consolidated a relationship featured by equality, unity, mutual assistance and harmony among different ethnic groups as well as a relationship featured by mutual respect and harmonious coexistence among various religions in the process of building a beautiful homeland through unity and concerted efforts. Xinjiang today witnesses the best period of prosperity and development in history with sustained economic growth, harmonious and stable society, improving livelihood, and people of all ethnicities being closely united just like the seeds of a pomegranate that stick together. We are fully convinced that no force can impede Xinjiang’s social stability and long-term security, and no force can stop our beautiful Xinjiang from moving forward.