| Founder | Australian Strategic Policy Institute |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Publicize human rights violations in Xinjiang |
| Location | |
Official language | English |
| Funding | United States Department of State |
| Website | xjdp |
The Xinjiang Data Project is a China-focused Australian research project created and managed by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).[1][2] The project states that it has identified grave human rights violations in Xinjiang, including the mass detention of minorities, and compulsory sterilizations.[3][4][5]
The researchers found that one out of every three mosques have been demolished in Xinjiang since 2017.[6]
The ASPI launched the Xinjiang Data Project in September 2020 as a part of its International Cyber Policy Centre.[3] According to the project's website, initial funding for the project came from the United States Department of State.[1][2]
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Main articles: Persecution of Uyghurs in China and Xinjiang internment camps |
According to the project, satellite data has allowed it to locate "380 suspected detention facilities" in Xinjiang,[7] and to estimate that 35 % of mosques in the region have been demolished, including a pilgrimage town, Ordam Mazar.[3] The project says that it has also used interviews from former inmates to collect information.[5] The project has promoted research by Adrian Zenz, a senior fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, who says that the Chinese government has embarked on a program of mass sterilization in Xinjiang.[8][4]
According to the researchers, development in the region is being used as a "facade for cultural erasure and desecration of religious sites."[6]
The Chinese government has responded that the camps are vocational training and re-education programs meant to alleviate poverty and counter terrorism.[5]