As many as 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Muslims have been detained in “re-education” camps in China. Nur’iman Abdureshid and Ferkat Jawdat escaped to the US, but both currently have family members in the camps. There, Uyghurs and other Muslims are forced to learn Mandarin, renounce their faith, and pledge loyalty to the Chinese government. The Chinese government maintains it’s part of an effort to combat terrorism in the region.

This video was originally published in August 2019, using the romanized spelling “Uighur.” In February 2021, to follow updated AP Style guidelines, we updated our own style guide to use the spelling “Uyghur.”