Police in civilian clothes follow up to the public restroom.
Another police officer stops and takes you to a military barracks after a morning jogger has taken a picture of the building he saw.
Armed police surround the party in a restaurant and force them to remove pictures from their cell phones.
These are examples of China’s surveillance of a diplomatic group from EU countries in the Uighur region of Xinjiang in the summer of 2018. The group also included a Finnish diplomat.
This is clear from an internal report from the European External Action Service, which was obtained by the German newspaper Der Spiegel. received the report as part of an international collaboration of investigative journalists.
At the same time, also received a secret instruction from the Chinese authorities regarding the supervision of the diplomatic mission.
The latter document is part of a large-scale information leak called the Xinjiang Police Files. Material from Finland has been studied by ‘s foreign news service and MOT.
The EU wanted information on the plight of the Uighurs
Five EU diplomats traveled to Xinjiang at the end of June 2018. The intention was to get their own observations to find out what was going on in the area.
Information had long been received from Xinjiang that China severely restricted the religious freedom of Muslim Uighurs and detained masses of people. Accurate information from the region was difficult to obtain, as China closely monitored, for example, foreign suppliers moving around the region.
The EU party was unable to collect very many observations. Chinese authorities monitored diplomats almost all the time and restricted their movement.
In addition to the Finn, the group included diplomats from France, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as the EU Mission in Beijing.
The identity of the Finnish diplomat is known above, but he does not want to comment on the matter. The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs does not want to comment either.
The EU did not want to travel on Chinese terms
The trip was informal in status. No meetings were requested from the Chinese authorities and the Chinese authorities were not notified of the trip in advance.
Permits would have been required for an official visit to Xinjiang. It was known in EU countries that if permits were requested, the trip would become a Chinese propaganda show: China would allow diplomats to see and hear only what fits its official line.
China sharply denies allegations of ill-treatment of Uighurs. It has spoken of the “vocational training” of the Uighurs, which has eradicated extremism and raised living standards.
Followed to the toilet, ordered to remove pictures from the cell phone
An internal EU documentary reveals how far the Chinese authorities were prepared to go so that every movement of diplomats could be controlled.
The report describes how police officers in civilian clothes followed diplomats on the streets and on buses. Shaders followed them to restaurants, public toilets, the gym, and the pool.
One member of the party was stopped in the middle of the morning after taking a picture of a building described in the report as “vague” or “nonsensical.” He was taken to a building like a military barracks and ordered to remove the photograph.
For the second time, one of the party members took a picture of the person who had photographed and videotaped the party at a restaurant lunch. The person requested that their photo be deleted.
The diplomats report the following:
… A large number of armed police officers entered the restaurant, closing the exit and effectively blocking visitors. Two of the visitors were told to open their phones to police so they could look for “offensive images” there. Eventually, visitors were forced to delete images deemed sensitive. Only then were they allowed to continue their journey.
has received several confirmations through international supplier cooperation that the harassment described in the report took place during the trip.
China ordered action “severely inside but relaxed on the outside”
Although the diplomats were in Xinjiang informally, the Chinese authorities knew their travel plans in advance.
The Chinese authority’s guide, obtained by , gives local authorities precise instructions on how to monitor the party.
The file is marked “very urgent”. The encryption class is “specially encrypted”.
The regional guide calls on all police departments to comply strictly with the instructions of the police administration and the provisions for the surveillance and restriction of “state-significant and key persons” visiting the area.
The document tells the names of the people and other personal information such as date of birth and passport number. In addition, the guide provides flight information for the company and information on hotel accommodation in various cities in Xinjiang.
Local authorities are instructed to remain vigilant.
The dynamic fist should observe the movements of these six people and closely monitor all their contacts with people. – – If problems occur, they must be reported immediately.
Finally, the guide recalls that foreigners in the party are in a “sensitive” position.
… it is essential to follow strict practices and to behave in a civilized and polite manner, with a strict but relaxed exterior, to avoid giving cause for concern or to cause meta-action.
Professor: Violates international law
asked an expert in international law Martin Scheinin assess the case.
Scheinin is a research professor at the British Academy of Sciences at the University of Oxford. He has not seen the documents obtained by , but evaluates the case on the basis of the information provided by .
– It is a clear violation of the Vienna Agreement if diplomats have been required to have their mobile phones checked by the Chinese authorities, Scheinin says.
Concerning diplomatic relations Vienna Agreement (moving to another service) according to the diplomat is inviolable. His liberty shall not be deprived and his documents, correspondence and property shall not be affected.
The latter also includes a mobile phone.
Is the assessment affected by the fact that the diplomats did not have the permits required by China? According to Scheinin, no.
If the conditions imposed by the country of status are deviated from, the country has the right to retaliate, but these must be of a certain nature.
– Such a derogation would entitle China to request that the diplomat in question leave the country. The sanction must be diplomatic in nature and commensurate with the person’s diplomatic status, Scheinin says.
Instead, the assessment of whether there has been a violation of the Vienna Agreement is affected by whether diplomats have disclosed their status to local authorities. The assumption is that the diplomat will present his diplomatic passport as soon as, for example, he is interviewed by the police.
According to information received by an international group of journalists, members of the party that traveled to Xinjiang have told police they are diplomats.
“Many residential areas looked deserted”
Although the visit of EU diplomats did not provide any real information, the trip confirmed the image of the EU countries in Xinjiang.
Diplomats say in an EU report that, based on the visit, much of the information about the treatment of Uighurs is largely correct.
They say the mosques were almost empty and the two religious buildings they saw were in ruins.
Public religious expressions were very rare and when they were present (in mosques, for example), they were strictly under the control of the authorities.
Uighur men aspiring to mosques … had to submit to face recognition scanning, ID card scanning, and body scanning.
Diplomats describe in the report how many residential areas looked deserted. According to them, relatively few young and middle-aged men were seen.
When diplomats tried to talk to people, these were quickly taken aside to be spoken to. There were police officers and police stations on almost every corner, as well as surveillance cameras.
Diplomats say they have received at least one indirect confirmation of the operation and scale of political retraining camps. However, it was impossible to get anywhere near these places.
The systematic and drastic nature of China’s actions was highlighted in the findings of the trip. According to , this has been one of the factors influencing the treatment of Uighurs in discussions with China.
UN leader in Xinjiang, organizations fear white laundering
Diplomats in the report recommend that the EU continue both official and informal visits to Xinjiang, despite controls.
In January 2019, the EU delegation went to Xinjiang on the way (you move to another service), which was co-organized with the Chinese authorities. China selected the sites to be visited by the delegation under supervision. They also got into one so-called “training center.”
Human rights organizations have demanded that the Bachelet Office publish its report on human rights violations in Xinjiang. The report has been compiled for years.
Now Bachelet is going to Xinjiang as a guest of the Chinese government. It is unclear how freely he can move and meet people. China has said (you are switching to another service) to welcome Mr Bachelet as long as the purpose of the trip is to promote cooperation.
Organizations fear Bachelet’s journey will be reduced to a public relations stunt: China is showing the UN a picture of Xinjiang showing that the province is doing well.