Chinese authorities continue mass renaming of Uighur villages and towns
China is renaming Uighur villages and towns, removing religious and cultural references. These actions are aimed at destroying the cultural identity of Uyghurs. The international community condemns this policy, with some countries calling it genocide. China claims to be fighting terrorism and extremism.
Chinese authorities continue to actively rename Uyghur villages and towns in Xinjiang, removing religious and cultural references from their names. According to a study conducted by the Uyghur Hjelp organisation, some 630 communities have undergone name changes as part of the repressive policy. The published report said that former names containing religious and cultural elements were being replaced with new names that reflected the ideology of the communist party.
Names referring to Uighur republics or leaders that existed before 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, were also changed. The report indicates that the new village names are mostly written in the Mandarin dialect of Chinese.
Elaine Pearson, director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, emphasised that such measures are aimed at destroying the Uighurs' cultural identity and suppressing their freedom of religion. Uyghur lawyer and human rights activist Rayhan Asat noted that the name change erases not only historical monuments but also the socio-cultural ties of the Uyghur people. He said, "The names of our villages serve not only as historical monuments but also symbolise social ties, unique urban culture and values. The state policy of erasing and replacing names is aimed at severing Uyghurs from their history, culture and civilisation."
The international community is closely monitoring the situation in Xinjiang. In 2021, Human Rights Watch said that the Chinese government's actions constitute crimes against humanity, and some governments have even labelled them as genocide. However, the Chinese authorities deny these accusations, claiming that their policy in Xinjiang is aimed at combating terrorism and extremism.
