Xinjiang serves as a model of human rights protection

The founding of the People's Republic of China and its socialist system in 1949 laid the political and systemic foundation for the protection of human rights of all ethnic groups in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. And the regional autonomy for ethnic minorities introduced in 1955 has helped further safeguard the rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

Irrespective of their population size, level of development and religious belief, all ethnic groups have been enjoying human rights, and the same political, economic, social and cultural rights as their Han counterparts thanks to various policies and measures introduced by the central government. This in turn has helped restore stability and promoted socioeconomic development in Xinjiang.

But the rise of terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang resulted in thousands of terrorism-related crimes from 1990 to 2016, which have seriously infringed upon human rights including the right to life, health and development of all ethnic groups, caused the loss of many lives and properties, and hampered the socioeconomic progress of the region.