In 2019 the Chinese government said VETC was a “liberal” form of rehabilitation for those involved in “minor cases”.
Although the United Nations report states that the distinction between “serious” and “minor” acts of terrorism and/or “extremist” acts is unclear, the same types of conduct are often included under both legal categories. goes.
FILE: Security officers in protective suits stand in a reception area at the visitors’ hall at the Urumqi No. 3 Detention Center in Xinjiang (AP)
In addition, the report said “credible” allegations of sexual assault, including rape and rape, were found in such detention centers in Xinjiang.
Individuals interviewed by the OHCHR gave startling details of the treatment received by officers during their confinement at VETC facilities.
Their accounts include being “beaten with sticks, tied to the so-called ‘tiger chair’, subjected to interrogation with water poured into their faces, prolonged solitary confinement, and forced to sit still on small stools.” Was involved. For a long time.”
The United Nations said the numbers in the VETC, at least between 2017 and 2019, were “very significant, including a substantial proportion of Uighur and other predominantly Muslim minority populations”.