Xinjiang official accuses BBC of lying, spreading rumors

A senior official of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Wednesday denounced the BBC for committing slander and spreading rumors for political purposes with its false reports on Xinjiang-related issues.

"Recently, BBC reporters went to Xinjiang's Aksu prefecture and filmed interviewees without their consent," Xu Guixiang, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Xinjiang Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China, said at a news briefing in Beijing. "Without interviewing a single Uygur and only relying on several satellite images and reports by some anti-China figures, the BBC falsely claimed that they obtained 'solid evidence' of mass 'forced labor' in Xinjiang."

Such biased behavior is unethical and has soiled the network's reputation, Xu said, adding that it has made many false reports and created trouble on Xinjiang-related issues.

According to Xu, the alleged crimes against humanity and genocide in Xinjiang are the "lie of the century" deliberately fabricated by former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his like.

"It was the most wrongful accusation in human history," he said.

Xu noted that due to preventive counterterrorism and deradicalization measures in recent years, Xinjiang has reported no violent terrorist cases for more than four consecutive years.

"This answers people's aspiration for tranquility and stability. We believe that this is the strongest guarantee for human rights. How can this be a crime against humanity or genocide?" he said.

Speaking about a recent BBC report that said "women in 're-education' camps for Uygurs have been systematically raped, sexually abused, and tortured", Xu said it's "purely nonsense" as the fundamental rights of trainees in vocational education and training centers are guaranteed by China's Constitution and laws.

Zaynura Namatqari, who is a former trainee of vocational education and training center of Shufu county in south Xinjiang's Kashgar prefecture, said the rights of female trainees were well guaranteed in the center and they are angry about the BBC's report.

"If the BBC and rumormongers continue to insult our female trainees, we will protect our right of reputation by legal means," she said.