Explainer: Who are the Uyghurs and why is the Chinese government detaining them. , The Conversation

Anna Hayes (Senior Lecturer - Political Science)
Type

CONTRIBUTION

Title

Explainer: Who are the Uyghurs and why is the Chinese government detaining them.

Name of Media Outlet

The Conversation

Country

AU

Name of Media Type

ONLINE_ARTICLE

Date
2019
Url

https://theconversation.com/explainer-who-are-the-uyghurs-and-why-is-the-chinese-government-detaining-them-111843

Description

The Uyghurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims from the Central Asian region. The largest population live in China’s autonomous Xinjiang region, in the country’s north-west. The Uyghurs are one of a number of persecuted Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, including the Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz and Hui. The region’s name suggests the Uyghurs have autonomy and self-governance. But similar to Tibet, Xinjiang is a tightly controlled region of China.