The Uighurs are a Muslim ethnic minority that make up around 45% of the Xinjiang province in western China, home to roughly 10 million ethnic Uighurs- less than 1.5% of China’s population.

In 2017, 228  000 people were arrested in Xinjiang on criminal charges according to human rights group ‘ China Human Rights Defenders

Uighurs in detention are housed in small overcrowded rooms and provided with insufficient amount of food

China has also prohibited long beards and the wearing of veils in public places

Uighurs are often arrested arbitrarily with no charge of any crime, held indefinitely and denied access to legal representation

Those who are detained have to repeatedly watch‘re-education’ films featuring a state appointed imam who explains ‘legal religious practices’ and ‘appropriate interpretations of Islam’