Dolkun Isa: Beijing shifts tactics to mask ongoing Uyghur repression

Isa pointed to a series of international developments—including a landmark UN report, the Uyghur Tribunal verdict, and a genocide motion passed by Mozambique’s parliament—as catalysts for Beijing’s shift. According to the WUC leader, the state has moved from total isolation, which defined the period after 2017 when passports were confiscated and communication channels severed, toward a strategy of curated visibility.

The government now invites selected diplomats, journalists, and scholars on state-funded tours, providing luxury travel and pre-arranged itineraries to project an image of normalcy. Isa dismissed these visits as propaganda, asserting that millions remain detained in camps, forced labor persists, and over one million children stay separated from their families. Furthermore, he highlighted the July 1 implementation of the Ethnic Unity Law as a dangerous escalation, noting that Uyghur and Tibetan languages are being systematically purged from schools and public life. Despite the veneer of stability presented to visitors, Isa maintained that the underlying pressure on the region's population continues to intensify behind the scenes.