Uyghur Repression and “Countering Violent Extremism”

Looking at the Chinese detention centers through a CVE lens shows the alarming consequences of using ideology as a proxy for violent behavior.

by Maryam Jamshidi

Since 2016, China has placed approximately 2 million Uyghurs in detention centers for political re-education, according to conservative estimates. The Uyghurs, who number about 10 million, are a Turkic minority living primarily in southwestern China. The official justification for their detention: fighting “Islamic extremism.” The dete…