Question: Could you give an introduction on Xinjiang’s preventative counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation measures?

Spokesperson: For some years, Xinjiang was gravely affected by extremist forces, who spread religious extremism under the pretext of protecting ethnic minorities and freedom of religion. They incited ethnic hatred and discrimination, and even provoked violence. Some people were deluded and misled, and some even participated in violent terrorist activities. They  themselves were actually victims of extremist ideologies. In response to this, Xinjiang made active efforts to support the initiative of the United Nations on "taking action to prevent and combat terrorism in all forms", drew upon the experience of the international fight against terrorism, and explored ways to eliminate terrorist threats from the source through de-radicalisation.

For people who were affected by extremism and committed minor crimes, the focus was on assistance rather than penalty. It was under this principle that Xinjiang set up vocational education and training centres in accordance with the law to help them breakawayfrom extremism, master occupational skills, and reintegrate into society.

By October 2019, all the trainees of the vocational education and training centres had completed their studies. They markedly gained greater legal awareness, broke free from the shackles of terrorism and religious extremism, and learnt new skills and acquired greater ability totake up an occupation. Most  graduates obtained secure employment with support from the local government and improved their quality of life.

The education and training centres were absolutely not "concentration camps", but part of Xinjiang’s preventative and de-radicalisation efforts. They were essentially no different from the Desistance and Disengagement Programme (DDP) of the UK or the de-radicalisation centres in France. The centresmainly taught the national common language, legal knowledge, vocational skills and courses aimed at de-radicalisation. At the centres, no act of insult or torture was allowed. The customs observed by trainees of all ethnic groups were respected, and a wide variety of halal diets were provided for free. The centres were boarding institutions and trainees could return home on a regular basis, take a leave of absence, and were free to contact their families and friends. Their right to use the spoken and written languages of their own ethnic group was fully protected, and it was their choice whether or not to participate in lawful religious activities after returning home.