Committed acts of self-harm and excessive acts against the police

the Xinjiang government press office:

"According to article 37 of the Prison Law of the People's Republic of China, the people's government shall help released prisoners to resettle," it says.

"During the transfer, Merdan Ghappar committed acts of self-harm and excessive acts against the police."

It continues: "They took legal measures to stop him, and lifted those measures once his mood had stabilised." […]

The government statement does not address Mr Ghappar's allegations of mistreatment which, along with the shackling and hooding, included hearing sounds of torture from elsewhere in the police jail.

"One time I heard a man screaming from morning until evening," he wrote in one of his text messages.

Nor does the statement refer to his self-shot video showing him sitting in silence in the epidemic control centre, with dirty clothes and his left wrist clearly handcuffed to the bed.

Instead, it lists a range of behaviours, from violence to self-harm, implying that his treatment was proportionate and lawful.

"He resisted epidemic prevention staff when they tried to take his temperature, verbally insulted them and beat them up," the statement says.

"As these behaviours placed him under suspicion of committing a crime, the police have subjected him to forcible measures." His case "remains in process", it adds….

Darren Byler is an anthropologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who has written and researched extensively about the Uighurs.

"This message from the Chinese state authorities reflects the type of victim blaming that is often used by the police when caught using excessive force," he said after being shown a copy of the statement.

"Since the re-education campaign began in 2017, detainees have not been permitted to protest their internment. Instead they're required to maintain a 'good attitude' and admit their guilt under threat of beating and torture."

It would be comforting to think that the Chinese might go easy on this Merdan Ghappar, now his case has sparked at least some interest in the news. But I doubt they're that concerned, to be honest. They think they can get away with it – and they're right.

Xinjiang doesn't even manage to make the list on Amnesty International's list of Campaigns and Issues, alongside Palestine, inevitably, and now the USA: Trump Watch.