Hong Kong (CNN)China has defended an escalating crackdown in the far western province of Xinjiang as necessary for security, claiming inmates of “re-education camps” are happier following their imprisonment.
In the most vocal defense yet of the mass internment of the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority group, Shohrat Zakir, a high-ranking Xinjiang government official, told state media the Chinese government was fighting “terrorism and extremism” in its own way, and in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
“Today’s Xinjiang is not only beautiful but also safe and stable. No matter where they are or at what time of the day, people are no longer afraid of going out, shopping, dining and traveling,” he told state-run news agency Xinhua, Tuesday.
