The Chinese government has detained over one million Muslims in re-education camps. The majority of these individuals are Uyghur, a predominantly Turkic-speaking ethnic group primarily from Xinjiang, China. Chinese officials currently maintain that their "vocational training centers" do not infringe on Uyghur's human rights, but they refuse to share information about the centers, and have prevented journalists and foreign investigators from accessing them.
"Information regarding what actually happens in the camps is minimal, but many detainees who have since fled China describe harsh conditions. Some reported prison-like conditions, while others said they were tortured and subjected to sleep deprivation during interrogations. Chinese officials are concerned that Uyghur Muslims hold extremist and separatist ideas, and they view the camps as a mechanism to eliminate threats to China's territorial integrity, government, and population."