Refugees and activists have lately voiced their worries to the BBC regarding the use of intimidation techniques that are presently dividing Uyghur groups living outside of their homeland. According to them, China is pressuring Uyghurs living abroad to spy on human rights campaigners.

The Uyghurs, an ethnic Muslim minority group, have been subjected to widespread persecution in their home region of Xinjiang, China. In an attempt to escape this oppression, many Uyghurs have sought refuge in various countries around the world. 

Uyghur refugees and activists claim that China uses various strategies to stifle dissent and spread terror within the population. One such technique entails pressing the relatives of Uyghur people living overseas to cooperate with Chinese authorities. Any opposition or activism carried out by Uyghurs residing abroad is effectively suppressed by the fear of harm or revenge against loved ones still alive.

“Research suggests this particular kind - controlling access to family members in the home country through video calls, in exchange for compliance overseas - is commonly used by Chinese police,” the report claimed.

Dr. David Tobin at the University of Sheffield said that all Uyghurs living outside China are victims of transnational repression.

“Family separation is the central tactic” that China uses, as per the expert.

“Even where phone calls are technically possible, relatives still living in China won't pick up as there is an assumption that calls will be monitored, and a fear that communicating freely will put them at risk,” he said.

This allows Chinese police to step in and offer tightly managed access, he said, adding that during the research they surveyed or interviewed 48 Uyghurs in the UK of which two-thirds reported having been contacted directly by Chinese police.

The situation is even more intense in Turkey which is traditionally a safe haven for Uyghurs. Almost 80% of the 148 respondents in Turkey reported similar threats from Chinese authorities.

“Young people are distancing themselves from Uyghur protests and meetings. They are worried that people there might be spies. China's plan is working,” a Uyghur in Turkey told BBC.

In a video posted on Facebook, a young Uyghur man who appears to have been captured and beaten by his peers offers a troubled confession - admitting to spying on behalf of Beijing. While the circumstances surrounding the scene are unclear, the footage has been circulated among the Uyghur community, and the man has been widely condemned online.

Julie Millsap, an activist with the Uyghur Human Rights Project who was born in the United States, claimed that China has attempted to exert pressure through her in-laws. She disclosed that once she started working on her campaign, local police started calling her extended relatives in China, claiming they "wanted to be friends."

During a recent video call between her husband, in Washington DC, and his sister, in China, "the police happened to stop by", she said.

"He stammered and asked us not to misinterpret his intentions," she informed, adding, “But we're still talking about police harassment, about threats, about a daily reality that is anything but good.”

Uyghur activists have urged the international community and governments to stand up against these intimidation tactics and provide meaningful assistance to Uyghur refugees. Additionally, they call for increased awareness of the dire situation faced by Uyghur communities abroad, in order to foster a sense of solidarity and support.

The US government is beginning to address the problem formally.

In March, senators introduced the Transnational Repression Policy Act, listing a range of abuses including "coercion by proxy", which covers threats to family members overseas. If passed, the legislation would establish a special hotline for reporting threats and compel Congress to take whatever legal action is necessary to hold offenders accountable.

Image source: Reuters