• MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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    9 days ago

    Clicking through a few links eventually leads to this, which does appear to actually cite Chinese authorities. It shows arrests in Xinjiang spiking to around 230K in 2017. The paper is from 2018, so that’s the most recent data it has.

    No data on how many arrests resulted in convictions, what kind of sentences were handed down, conditions of confinement, or anything that would take “they arrested a lot of people” to “they are doing a genocide.”

      • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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        9 days ago

        Certainly doesn’t support the figure of 2 million detainees they tossed around. The half a million arrests claim is at least in play, assuming the spike in arrests wasn’t one year only.

        • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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          9 days ago

          Well they didn’t claim half a million arrests, they claimed half a million in concentration camps.

          • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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            9 days ago

            You’re right. So we’re still pretty far from that, even assuming a high percentage of the arrests resulted in convictions.

            • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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              9 days ago

              Well presumably the half a million he’s alleging would be above and beyond the number of arrests to start with, given he’s alleging that they’re extralegal internment and not just people going to jail for regular crimes. Not to mention that most convictions wouldn’t lead to jail time to start with.

              • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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                9 days ago

                I’m not sure if he’s arguing there are extralegal, “off the books” detainees (his story isn’t very clear). I think he’s arguing these people are accurately counted by China, but that (1) the process for arresting them isn’t fair and (2) something sinister – a genocide with no mass killings, or a “cultural genocide,” or maybe just mass human rights violations while in custody – is being done to them.

                His “insufficient due process” claims come solely from China’s (supposedly) high conviction rate, and are a frankly bizarre angle to focus on if one is even flirting with genocide accusations as well.