The Evidence Is Clear: China Is Committing Genocide

The Chinese government seeks to destroy the Uyghurs — slowly, methodically, brutally. This is genocide in the age of social media: no gas chambers but the same goal of destruction in mind. By Aaron Kliegman The word “genocide” is used much too often today to refer to atrocities around the world. Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, for example, dictator Bashar al-Assad has murdered hundreds of thousands of civilians and displaced millions more to stay in power. Many observers have labeled this onslaught a genocide. What’s happening in Syria must be stopped. It’s disgusting. It’s horrifying. It’s mass slaughter. But it’s not genocide. In 1948, in the wake of the Holocaust, the United Nations defined genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, as such.” Large-scale killing is horrific, but it’s not genocide — unless the purpose of the killing is to exterminate a specific group. The best way to determine whether genocide is taking place is with a simple test: Can a member of the targeted group do anything to be spared? Not in a genocide. Indeed, during the Holocaust, Jews could convert, discard their Jewish identity, and pledge allegiance to Hitler, but none of it would matter. They’d still be sent to concentration camps. The Nazis wanted to eradicate Jews because they were Jews. There was nothing a Jew could do. Contrast that with a tyrant waging war to stay in power. The scale of destruction may be awful, but one can be spared by bowing down to the tyrant. This doesn’t make the violence any less horrible; it just means what’s happening isn’t genocide. Some analysts argue the definition of genocide should also include social and political groups, not just national, ethnic, racial, and religious ones. They may be right. But regardless, using the label of genocide too liberally risks not only diluting its definition but also trivializing the gravest of all crimes against humanity. Like nuclear weapons in a military arsenal, the genocide label should be in its own category, deployed only in rare, specific situations. China’s ongoing persecution of the Uyghurs is one such situation. Since 2017, the Chinese government has imprisoned more than a million Uyghurs and other Turkic, predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in concentration camps in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang. In these camps, Chinese authorities aren’t eliminating the Uyghurs in the same way that the Nazis tried to eliminate the Jews — through systematic slaughter. Instead, they’re using forced sterilization and brainwashing. But the intended result is the same. Indeed, according to a new peer-reviewed analysis by a German researcher, China’s policies of birth control could cut between 2.6 and 4.5 million births of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in southern Xinjiang within 20 years. That’s up to a third of the region’s projected minority population. Adrian Zenz, a senior fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, also reported that birth rates in Xinjiang, where Uyghurs are concentrated, dropped by 48.7 percent between 2017 and 2019. Zenz included several statements and reports from Chinese officials and academics saying the Uyghurs pose a serious threat to China’s national security and must therefore be depopulated. The evidence is compelling: China seeks to destroy, at least in large part, the Uyghurs by preventing births among them. Moreover, there’s ample evidence showing the Chinese government is also “re-educating” the detained Uyghurs to abandon their way of life and embrace the ruling Communist Party’s cultural and political beliefs. This process of brainwashing involves rape, torture (both physical and psychological), and much more. Detainees are released when they demonstrate they have transformed their beliefs, behavior, even language. The goal is to end the Uyghur’s culture and identity with time. The UN’s Genocide Convention lists several acts that, if committed with the intent to destroy a certain group in whole or in part, would be genocidal. Three of them are “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group,” causing “serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group,” and “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.” China is clearly doing all three to eradicate the Uyghurs both physically and culturally — through sterilization and brainwashing, respectively. And crucially, there’s nothing Uyghurs can do to be spared. No matter what, they will be forced to absolve their way of life and plans for children simply because of their ethnicity and religion. In short, the Chinese Communist Party seeks to destroy the Uyghurs — slowly, methodically, brutally. This is genocide in the age of social media. There are no gas chambers or blatant acts of mass slaughter. These would be impossible to hide from the world. But the same goal of destruction is being exercised -- albeit over a long period of time. China’s leaders wish to erase any memory of the Uyghurs from this world. And they may just succeed, largely unscathed, if the world stands by and allows genocide to happen. So much for “never again.” Newt hosts monthly virtual events in which he discusses news of the day and why it matters to you and your community. These Newt Live events are your opportunity to communicate directly with Newt. We hope you will join us next time and let Newt answer your questions and provide his insight on the issues that concern you most. JOIN TODAY to be a part of this special event and receive a BONUS GIFT. Click here to join Newt’s Inner Circle. More from Aaron Kliegman:

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