China has renamed hundreds of Uyghur villages and towns, say human rights groups
GuardianJun 19
Report: China Has Renamed Hundreds of Uyghur Villages, Towns
Above: View from Tashkurgan fort, Tashkurgan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. Image copyright: Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Contributor/Corbis via Getty Images
The Facts
A new report from Human Rights Watch and Norway-based Uyghur Hjelp says China has renamed hundreds of Uyghur villages and towns, removing religious, historical, and cultural references.
The researchers cited data from China's National Bureau of Statistics website, claiming that Beijing in 2009 began swapping out Uyghur names for ones that reflect the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
China has been guilty of crimes against humanity in relation to the Uyghurs for years, and the renaming of Uyghur cities and villages is just another blatant move to erase the Uyghurs' existence. The international community must step up its efforts to hold Beijing accountable for its atrocities in Xinjiang.
Pro-China narrative
This report is just another bout of misinformation produced by an organization sympathetic to nations that have a bone to pick with China. The CCP is performing counterterrorism actions in Xinjiang in order to protect its national security. The US, its friendly human rights organizations, and other aligned countries should stop making false claims against China.