Xinjiang papers
[1][2] In November 2019, journalists Austin Ramzy and Chris Buckley at The New York Times broke the story that characterized the documents as "one of the most significant leaks of government papers from inside China's ruling Communist Party in decades.
"[1] According to The New York Times, the documents were leaked by a source inside the Chinese Communist Party and include a breakdown of how China created and organized the Xinjiang internment camps.
[1] According to The New York Times, Xi's speeches show how he views threats to the party through the lens of the collapse of the Soviet Union, which he attributed to "ideological laxity and spineless leadership.
Zhu Hailun, Xinjiang's former top security official, cited terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom as a "warning and lesson"[1] for China to adequately control the propagation of extremism.
[1] On November 16, 2019, Ramzy and Buckley of The New York Times published the Xinjiang papers in an article titled "'Absolutely No Mercy': Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detention of Muslims".
Ramzy and Buckley state that the documents were provided by a Chinese government official who requested anonymity and hoped to "prevent party leaders, including Mr. Xi, from escaping culpability for the mass detentions.
[16][17] Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne called The New York Times report "disturbing" and stated that it reinforced Australia's resolve to raise their human rights concerns with Beijing.
[18] Penny Wong, foreign affairs spokesperson for the Australian Labor Party, called the report "deeply disturbing" and urged China to respond "transparently and swiftly.
"[19] Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale described the report as "horrifying" and stated that Australia needed to "play an active diplomatic role in putting maximum pressure on China.
"[19] Citing evidence from the "Chinese Government's own documents, satellite imagery, and eyewitness testimony", Global Affairs Canada issued a joint statement with the United Kingdom calling for China to end its "human rights violations and abuses" in Xinjiang.
[21][22] Following the Xinjiang papers and China Cables leaks, the UK cited the "Chinese authorities' own government documents"[23] as evidence of human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims, including forced labor and extrajudicial detention.
[23] In a press conference on November 26, 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the Xinjiang papers "detail the Chinese party's brutal detention and systematic repression of Uyghurs.
Biden described China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims as "among the worst abuses of human rights in the world today",[26] while Omar called the documents a "chilling portrait of the Chinese government's campaign of mass detention and ethnic cleansing.
[30] Under the Global Magnitsky Act, the US has imposed sanctions on Chen Quanguo, Zhu Hailun, and two other government officials "in connection with serious human rights abuses"[31] in Xinjiang.
[37][38] According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the documents demonstrate the "scale and depth of Beijing's Xinjiang program" and make it difficult for China to deny allegations of Uyghur and Muslim persecution.
