Uyghur graveyards demolished in China
- Recent investigations have uncovered more than 100 burial grounds that have been destroyed by the Chinese government.
- The Chinese government claimed that the graves had been “relocated” due to urban development demands, but other official justifications included “standardization” and the government’s desire to “promote cultural and ideological progress.”
- Cemeteries occupy a significant role in Uyghur cultural life, serving as both resting places and social spaces, and their demolition coupled with the destruction of Uyghur coffins, shrines, and mosques has further substantiated ongoing cultural genocide in Xinjiang.
Read
“More than 100 Uyghur graveyards demolished by Chinese authorities, satellite images show” (CNN | January 2020)
“‘No space to mourn’: the destruction of Uygur graveyards in Xinjiang” (Agence France-Presse, via The South China Morning Post | October 2019)
“China ‘building cark parks and playgrounds’ over Uighur Muslim graveyards ‘to eradicate ethnic group’s identity’” (The Independent | October 2019)
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“Then and now: China’s destruction of Uighur burial grounds” (The Guardian | October 2019)
Study
“Demolishing Faith: The Destruction and Desecration of Uyghur Mosques and Shrines” (B.K. Sintash and the Uyghur Human Rights Project | October 2019)
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