U.S. Declares China’s Actions Against Uyghurs Genocide

U.S. Declares China’s Actions Against Uyghurs Genocide as ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity.

Uyghur Times Staff

January 20, 2021

Washington, D.C. – On his last full day as U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo issued a groundbreaking determination today, declaring that the People’s Republic of China (PRC), under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has committed genocide and crimes against humanity against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region—known to Uyghurs as East Turkistan.

 This marks the first time a major world power has officially labeled China’s actions as genocide, providing powerful international validation and hope to the Uyghur community amid years of escalating repression. The State Department statement emphasized that these atrocities are “ongoing,” citing exhaustive evidence of mass arbitrary detentions, forced sterilizations, torture, forced labor, and systematic efforts to erase Uyghur cultural and religious identity. Pompeo called for the immediate release of all detainees, abolition of internment camps, and an end to coercive population control measures.

The Secretary also said on Twitter: “I have determined that the People’s Republic of China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, China, targeting Uyghur Muslims and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups.” 

Repression in the Uyghur region intensified dramatically starting in 2014 with the “Strike Hard Campaign Against Violent Terrorism,” escalating under Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo from 2016. Credible reports from the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Uyghur Human Rights Project, survivor testimonies, leaked government documents (such as the China Cables), and satellite imagery document a vast network of internment camps detaining over one million Uyghurs and other minorities without due process. These facilities involve political indoctrination, forced labor in industries like cotton and textiles, torture, and coercive birth prevention measures aimed at reducing Uyghur populations.

Pompeo: I believe this is ongoing Genocide.

Pompeo’s determination, detailed in the official State Department release, states: “After careful examination of the available facts, I have determined that since at least March 2017, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), under the direction and control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has committed crimes against humanity against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other members of ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang. These crimes are ongoing and include: the arbitrary imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty of more than one million civilians, forced sterilization, torture of a large number of those arbitrarily detained, forced labor, and the imposition of draconian restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, and freedom of movement. The Nuremberg Tribunals at the end of World War II prosecuted perpetrators for crimes against humanity, the same crimes being perpetrated in Xinjiang.”

“I believe this genocide is ongoing, and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy Uyghurs by the Chinese party-state.”

Pompeo also urged the PRC to abolish camps, end family separations, halt abuses, and allow freedom of travel and called on all appropriate multilateral and relevant juridical bodies to join the United States in our effort to promote accountability for those responsible for these atrocities.”

The hero of the Uyghur people and Public Enemy No. 1 of the Chinese Communist Party

Throughout his tenure, Pompeo actively advocated for Uyghur human rights. He met with family members of detained ethnic Kazakhs and Uyghurs, including in 2020 discussions highlighting personal stories of loss. Pompeo meets with Uighur Muslims, slams China over internment camps He organized panels at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom featuring Uyghur survivors and pressed allies, such as during his 2020 visit to Indonesia—the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation—where he urged leaders and youth to speak out against China’s treatment of Uyghurs. These efforts, combined with public condemnations of “awful abuses” as early as 2018, positioned him as a steadfast voice against the crisis.

Among the Uyghur diaspora, Pompeo became a celebrated figure, often referred to affectionately as “Polat” (meaning “steel” in Uyghur, evoking heroic strength like the character Polat Alemdar from the popular Turkish series Kurtlar Vadisi). Diaspora communities created memes depicting him wearing the traditional Uyghur doppa hat, symbolizing solidarity and gratitude.

China’s smear campaign against Mike Pompeo:

Previous ASPI analysis found a Twitter spambot network in December 2019 amplifying Global Times articles that denied Uyghur repression and attacked figures like Mike Pompeo and the New York Times, showing behavior similar to the CNHU and CNCC networks.

Chinese state media, including CGTN and Xinjiang Television (XJTV), launched extensive campaigns accusing Pompeo of smears, defamation, and lies against Xinjiang.

Hundreds of segments and reports, often featuring orchestrated statements, portrayed him as interfering in China’s internal affairs and spreading falsehoods—clearly coordinated propaganda efforts to discredit his advocacy. In an op-ed piece published in 2019, Tahir Imin, founder of Uyghur Times, rebuked Chinese state-organized collective accusations against Mike Pompeo.

In July 2020, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a widely noted anti-CCP speech, and he is a central target of criticism in both datasets.

China continues to deny the Uyghur genocide and any wrongdoing

China’s Foreign Ministry swiftly rejected the claims as baseless interference, with spokespeople labeling them “outrageous lies.” In contrast, China denied accusations. On January 20, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying gave a rare, lengthy response to questions from foreign media. Hua also criticized Mike Pompeo for “spreading rumors and lies,” saying that the so-called rumors about Xinjiang were carefully orchestrated by certain anti-China forces. She described them as “completely unfounded and biased falsehoods,” aimed at “helping U.S. anti-China forces slander and discredit Xinjiang’s counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts.”

Uyghurs Welcomed The U.S.

Uyghur advocacy groups hailed the move as a milestone amplifying their voices. As the Biden administration prepares to take office—having expressed support for similar recognition during the campaign—the international community faces calls for sustained pressure, including stronger sanctions and corporate accountability, to halt the ongoing atrocities.

The World Uyghur Congress issued a statement welcoming the decision of the U.S. Department of State to designate China’s repression of Uyghurs

“The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) welcomes the decision of the U.S. Department of State to determine China’s repression of the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples as both “crimes against humanity” and “genocide’’. This makes it the first government to designate the crimes in East Turkistan as genocide, and comes as the incoming Biden Administration is preparing for the presidential inauguration.”

“Today, history has been written not only for Uyghurs, but for all of humanity. Uyghurs have been looking for accountability for years, and this is the first time a government designates the Uyghur crisis as a genocide”, WUC President Dolkun Isa said. “It shows that genocide will not be tolerated in the 21st century, and this will hopefully incite other governments to take concrete action. On behalf of the WUC and of the Uyghur community, I would like to thank the U.S. government for taking a great deal of responsibility to end the Uyghur genocide. Additionally, I would like to thank all the MPs in the UK who have supported the Genocide Trade Bill, as well as all the civil society organisations who have worked on this.’’