China's ‘hostage’ plan for families of Uyghurs living abroad: ‘Main tactic is…’

Dr David Tobin at the University of Sheffield said that all Uyghurs living outside China are victims of transnational repression.

China is pressuring Uyghurs living abroad to spy on human rights campaigners, BBC reported. Beijing is threatening families back home and using intimidating tactics. Uyghurs in China have been living under intense surveillance as more than a million have allegedly been detained in internment camps, it was earlier reported.

China's flag flutters. (Reuters)

“Research suggests this particular kind - controlling access to family members in the home country through video calls, in exchange for compliance overseas - is commonly used by Chinese police,” the report claimed.

Dr David Tobin at the University of Sheffield said that all Uyghurs living outside China are victims of transnational repression.

“Family separation is the central tactic” that China uses, as per the expert.

“Even where phone calls are technically possible, relatives still living in China won't pick up as there is an assumption that calls will be monitored, and a fear that communicating freely will put them at risk,” he said.

This allows Chinese police to step in and offer tightly managed access, he said, adding that during the research they surveyed or interviewed 48 Uyghurs in the UK of which two-thirds reported having been contacted directly by Chinese police.

The situation is even more intense in Turkey which is traditionally a safe haven for Uyghurs. Almost 80% of the 148 of respondents in Turkey reported similar threats from Chinese authorities.

“Young people are distancing themselves from Uyghur protests and meetings. They are worried that people there might be spies. China's plan is working,” an Uyghur in Turkey told BBC.

Turkish authorities are aware of what's happening and have been slow to respond as "the more dependent a country is on investment from China, the more likely it is to cooperate or to turn a blind eye," Dr David Tobin said.

Julie Millsap, a US-born activist who works with the Uyghur Human Rights Project, said that China has tried to pressure her through her in-laws. She revealed that when her campaigning work began, local police began dropping in on her extended family in China, saying they "wanted to be friends".

During a recent video call between her husband, in Washington DC, and his sister, in China, "the police happened to stop by", she said.

"He stammered and asked us not to misinterpret his intentions," she informed, adding, “But we're still talking about police harassment, about threats, about a daily reality that is anything but good.”