The Chinese government has imprisoned half a million Uyghurs with a combined 4.4 million years of prison time, according to a new Yale report.
That’s 60,000 lifetimes stripped from the Uyghur culture according to the Macmillan Center for Genocide Studies, which warns of irreversible effects to the culture.
China denies systematic oppression of the Turkic ethnic group, saying the arrests are to fight against terrorism.
But the report warns that there were no reasons listed for most of the arrests. Terrorist-related crimes carry a maximum sentence of three to five years under Chinese law. The average Uyghur is slapped with nine years.
Yale researchers recommend the United Nations immediately use all available mechanisms, including sanctions, to compel China to release the Uyghurs. They warn that inaction sends a message that powerful nations can get away with atrocities.