How China turned the ‘war on terror’ against the Uyghurs

August 20, 2026       Comments Off on How China turned the ‘war on terror’ against the Uyghurs
How China turned the ‘war on terror’ against the Uyghurs

By Patrick Poon

Originally published by UCA News on August 20, 2026

25 years after 9/11, activists say Beijing has used counterterrorism policies to suppress their faith, culture and identity

https://www.ucanews.com/news/how-china-turned-the-war-on-terror-against-the-uyghurs/114847

Activists from Amnesty International hold placards as they march during a demonstration in support of the Uyghurs, on the sidelines of the Chinese President’s two-day state visit in France, in Toulouse, south-western France, on May 6, 2024. (Photo by Lionel Bonaventure/AFP)

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China recently passed the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which took effect July 1, 2026. The U.S.-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders said that, rather than promoting unity as Chinese authorities claim, the law reinforces restrictions on “freedoms of language, education, practice of religion, culture, expression and assembly,” citing Volker Türk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, who raised similar concerns at the U.N. Human Rights Council on June 15.

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