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Urumqi Voc. Skills Ed. Tng. Ctr., Dabancheng District, Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China

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Root (Cause): Dabancheng Detention Center, Ürümqi, Xinjiang 

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Root (Cause): Dabancheng Detention Center, Ürümqi, Xinjiang 

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This facility in Dabancheng, China appears on Google Maps as a “Vocational Skills Education Training Center,” yet Australian Strategic Policy Institute researchers have identified it as one of over 380 Xinjiang “re-education” camps built since 2017 to detain Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. In April 2021, the AP's photographers gained rare access to Urumqi No. 3 Detention Center at Dabancheng, documenting a complex sprawling over 220 acres with capacity for at least 10,000 inmates under the guise of a vocational training center, this after completely denying their existence until there was too much proof to deny. Most detainees are held without formal charges, swept up under broad ‘counter-extremism’ laws that criminalize cultural and religious practices as “terrorism” or “thought crimes”. Human Rights Watch reports that more than one million Uyghurs have passed through these camps since 2017, where survivors describe forced Mandarin lessons, relentless political indoctrination, and harsh punishments for minor infractions. An AP investigation in Kashgar County found that roughly one in 25 adults had been imprisoned on vague terrorism charges, and many families now undertake dangerous overland journeys through Central Asia, facing smugglers, border patrols, and even intimidation by Chinese agents in exile to escape further detention or forced labor.

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Khorgos ICBC - Immigration and Customs Control Zone, Kazakhstan, Horgos, Kazakhstan

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The China-Kazakhstan International Cooperation Center is a cross-border zone between China and Kazakhstan. It allows trade, tourism, and business activities between the two countries, including visa-free entry for citizens of China, Kazakhstan, and third countries for up to 30 days. The center has become a popular destination for tourists worldwide, with people being drawn in by its unique border location and opportunities for shopping and tourism. The center has seen a significant increase in tourist visits since its full operational resumption in 2023. Since then, the center has seen a massive increase in tourist traffic, with millions of visitors entering and exiting every day. The China-Kazakhstan border has many crossings including Khorgos, Dostyk, and Kolzhat, which are open for road and/or rail traffic. However, they must navigate significant travel restrictions, monitoring, and potential issues related to border closures and security.  The center aims to promote economic cooperation and cultural exchange between Kazakhstan and China.

Because the center is located in Xinjiang, where many Uyghurs live, the development of the center affects Uyghurs as well. The Chinese government stated that this kind of project brings jobs and economic growth to the region, but many worry that Uyghurs may not benefit from this, or could possibly even be pushed out of the areas as the development carries on. Uyghurs have suffered from discrimination and restrictions on their culture and religion, so there are concerns that projects like this may harm their way of living. The region has already gained attention worldwide because of how Uyghurs are treated, and some think that projects like this are more about control rather than helping people. As well as this, because the center brings in more people from outside the region, there is a fear that the Uyghur culture could slowly be destroyed from this. Even though the center is meant to bring economic progress, there are still concerns about the impact on Uyghurs.

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Istanbul is a significant diaspora hub for Uyghurs, with a substantial Uyghur community residing in Turkey, especially in Istanbul. Istanbul is widely recognized as the largest Uyghur diaspora outside of Central Asia. Tens of thousands of Uyghurs live in Istanbul. The community of Uyghurs in Turkey is about 50,000, the majority of which live in Istanbul’s Sefakoy and Zeytinburnu neighborhoods. They have formed communities to preserve their culture and religion, such as through organizations like the Eastern Turkistan Foundation. These groups help raise awareness about human rights abuses in China and support Uyghurs living in Turkey.

However, life in Istanbul is still hard for many Uyghurs. Some do not have official refugee status, which means they can't work legally or access education with ease. Many are separated from family members who are still in China, and they are afraid of contacting them because of China's surveillance. Even though Turkey once supported Uyghurs, its government has become quieter about their situation in recent years. At least a dozen Uyghur refugees have been detained in recent weeks, raising concerns about their safety. In March 2025, Istanbul courts approved the extradition of two Uyghurs from China, which created protests from human rights organizations. The court argued there was no “serious concrete evidence” proving they would face persecution once they returned. The decision has sparked great fear within the Uyghur community about potential deportations.

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Maralbexi County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, China

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Maralbexi County, Kashgar Prefecture, China

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Maralbexi County, Kashgar Prefecture, China

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Maralbexi County, also known as Bachu County, is located in Kashgar Prefecture in the southwestern part of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. As of 2015, the population of the county was around 382,186, with Uyghurs making up over 90% of the population. The county has preserved Uyghur traditions, language, and customs due to its large makeup of Uyghurs. The Uyghyrs are a group of Turkic predominantly Sunni Muslim peoples who are mostly concentrated in the Xinjiang province of China, which they commonly refer to as East Turkestan. The majority of Uyghurs are Muslim, having adopted this practice around 1,000 years ago. Cultural practices such as the traditional Meshrep (a community gathering involving dancing, music, and discussion of issues) remain a crucial part of the Uyghur identity.

Despite the strong presence of Uyghur culture and identity, Maralbexi County has also been affected by state-led policies in Xinjiang that have drawn concern internationally. Reports from independent journalists and human rights groups have brought attention to a large re-education facility in the outer area of the county. These facilities are part of China's controversial counter-extremism campaign, which critics argue has led to the mass detention of Uyghurs. In addition, restrictions on religious practices have been reported in the area, particularly during well-known Islamic holidays. During Eid-al-Fitr, mosques in parts of Kashgar Prefecture, including Maralbexi, were closed, and public prayers were not allowed. These incidents show the tension between Maralbexi's role as a center of Uyghur culture and the greater policies affecting Uyghur communities throughout Xinjiang.

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Root (Legislation): The Belt and Road Initiative

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Root (Legislation): The Belt and Road Initiative

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Beijing, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, launched the Belt and Road Initiative (known as BRI) in 2013 to promote economic development. BRI legislation and policies are crafted in Beijing, which views Xinjiang as a “gateway” for trade to Central Asia and Europe. Scholars note, however, that BRI “has so far failed to check increasing regional inequality” in Xinjiang, and job opportunities for local Uyghurs remain limited by social and political factors. Meanwhile, Beijing’s central government has enacted strict security laws (e.g., counterterrorism and “vocational training” schools) in response to Uyghur unrest. In recent years, authorities have criminalized common cultural practices as “extremism,” fueling fear and displacement among Uyghur communities. These policies have prompted many Uyghurs to seek safety abroad, even though leaving China requires evading high-tech surveillance and border controls. The central government’s emphasis on the BRI also increased the strategic value of Xinjiang, intensifying the state’s control over Uyghur regions to ensure ‘stability’ along trade routes.

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Canada and the United States have become important destinations for fleeing Uyghurs in recent years. Both countries have recognized the Xinjiang crackdown as a genocide and taken steps to admit refugees. In 2023, Canada’s parliament voted to resettle up to 10,000 Uyghur refugees over two years. The U.S. Congress similarly passed the Uyghur Human Rights Act (2019), designating Xinjiang residents as special humanitarian refugees. Officially, U.S. guidelines presume that ethnic Uyghurs “are eligible for asylum” due to the documented persecution. Despite these policies, reaching North America is perilous. Many Uyghurs journey first to Southeast Asia or Central Asia. For example, dozens of Uyghurs became trapped in Thailand’s immigration centers for years. In early 2025, the Thai government deported a group of 40 Uyghurs to China despite U.S. and U.N. objections. Conversely, the AP recently reported that three Uyghur men detained in Thailand for over a decade were quietly resettled to Canada. As of April 2023, about 1,000 Uyghurs were awaiting asylum decisions in the U.S. immigration system. Some of the largest Uyghur populations in the US are in Fairfax, VA, and the DC Metro Area.

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Who are the Uyghurs? — Uyghur American Association

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Uyghurs are an ethnically, culturally, and linguistically-distinct Turkic group indigenous to East Turkistan, a region encompassing 642,000 square miles in the present-day Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China.