On Wednesday (19), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Norwegian organization Uyghur Hjelp released a statement revealing that Chinese communist authorities in Xinjiang have changed the names of villages inhabited by Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities. In place of original names reflecting their cultural and religious heritage, they were given terms promoting the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
According to HRW, out of the 25,000 Uighur villages listed between 2009 and 2023 by China’s National Bureau of Statistics, 3,600 had their original names changed. Of those, 630 originally had names referencing Islam or Uyghur culture and history. Most of the villages were given names like “Happiness,” “Unity,” and “Harmony,” slogans promoted by the CCP.
Maya Wang, acting director for China affairs at HRW, stated that the changes seem to be part of the Chinese regime’s strategy to erase Uyghur cultural and religious expressions. They removed mentions of Uighur history, such as kingdom names, republics, local leaders before 1949, and cultural practices like sanctuaries and traditional musical instruments.
The Xinjiang region is home to around 11 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities who are reportedly persecuted and repressed by Xi Jinping’s communist regime. Accusations include mass detentions, political indoctrination, forced labor, and family separation. Over 1 million Uighurs are estimated to have been detained in what authorities call “vocational training centers.”
Abduweli Ayub, founder of Uyghur Hjelp, called on concerned governments and the UN human rights office to hold China accountable for its abuses in the Uighur region. He urged them to pressure Beijing to release the hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs unjustly imprisoned as part of the abusive campaign during upcoming sessions of the UN Human Rights Council and high-level bilateral meetings.
