Authorities in Beijing have recently released a series of videos showing Uighurs denying that authorities have committed human rights violations against them. But the Associated Press reported Thursday, citing a text it obtained, that the videos are part of a government propaganda campaign that suggests the Uighurs’ appearances may not have been voluntary.
The report noted that a text obtained by the AP from higher-ups sent to government departments in the city of Karamay in Xinjiang in January showed that they asked each department to find a Uighur fluent in Mandarin to record a one-minute video in response to former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s “anti-China remarks.
The text reads, “Make a clear statement about Pompeo’s remarks, such as: ‘I firmly oppose Pompeo’s anti-China remarks, and I am very angry about them. Express your love for the Party, for your country and for Xinjiang.”
The report also said that while it is not impossible to find Uighurs in Xinjiang who are willing to do propaganda for the government, the authorities’ human rights record in Xinjiang has led many experts to believe that the videos were more likely recorded under duress.
The Associated Press was unable to independently verify the reliability of the text, but several friends of a Xinjiang linguist who previously provided the AP with a screenshot of the document in question said he was arrested by police shortly after sending it.
Beijing authorities have recently released a series of videos showing Uighurs denying that authorities have committed human rights violations against them.
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