Zero-Covid policy in Xinjiang

Currently, the radical zero-Covid policy of the Chinese government is hitting the Uyghur province of Xinjiang / East Turkestan with full force. “During the last few days, we have been receiving more and more credible reports of Uyghur families stating that they are not receiving any food – while Han-families can still rely on essential aid,” stated Jasna Causevic, expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect at the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP). “Immediate measures must be taken to check – independently – whether the authorities in Xinjiang are systematically trying to starve out Uyghur families. This would be a further escalation of the human rights violations against the Uyghur people. This would not be surprising, and the situation calls for a strong response from the international community.”

In the city of Ghulja (Yining) at the border to Kazakhstan, people have now been confined to their houses for 40 days. According to reports, they are not receiving any more food supplies, and they are cut off from medical care and access to medicines. Especially children, sick and elderly people, and pregnant women are in acute danger of their lives. At least twelve people are said to have died already.

From a distance, it is hardly possible to verify the terrible videos and reports from the region. However, Uyghur organizations in exile in Europe and the US have confirmed them to be accurate. “Now, the German Federal Government must do everything in its power to get access to the families that are affected. Further, the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, should clearly demand the regime in Beijing to provide help to the needy,” Causevic demanded. “After all, it is responsible for not letting the people take care of their own needs.”