Uyghur Homeland: Among the Most Heavily Policed Regions Worldwide, Says Uyghur Human Rights Project Report
The Uyghur’s homeland has been described as “one of the most heavily policed regions in the world, the Uyghur Human Rights Project writes in its newest report.
The region has more PAP (People’s Armed Police) mobile units than anywhere else in the People’s Republic of China, possibly twice as many as in Beijing, the report reveals. According to the report, the police in the region have been instrumental in effectively criminalizing the estimated 1.8 million people, many of whom have been sentenced to long-term imprisonment.
The different levels of policing have the same source: Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party, which grant power to the institutions below them, either regional or local policing forces.
There are different types of police forces present in the Uyghur region. The People’s Armed Police (PAP) is a paramilitary police force that handles riots, disruptions, serious violent crimes, terrorist attacks, and other emergencies.
The People’s Police is the largest police force in the PRC. Among other things, it is responsible for administering ID cards and household registrations. Within the People’s Police, there is a Special Police that patrols streets with firearms or long clubs, handles crisis intervention, and conducts dangerous searches and arrests. In addition, there are the assistant police, who are low-skilled “foot soldiers” within the People’s Police.
Photo: Photo by Vincent Chan on Unsplash
