A two-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment after North Korean officials found a Bible from his parents.

This incident was revealed by the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report 2022, documenting the regime’s crackdown on people having religious beliefs.

North Korea considers itself an atheist state despite officially granting freedom to practice religion. However, the Kim Jon-un regime continues to muzzle religious activities in the state.

The report mentioned that the family has been jailed, and even the child wasn’t spared.

The publication has based its findings on various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), human rights groups, and the United Nations to reveal how Christians—estimated by the UN between 200,000 and 400,000—are being persecuted for their faith under the Kim Jong-un regime. It said that so far, 70 Christians have been jailed.

The US report also exposed multiple cases of North Koreans being killed for having Christian beliefs. In one incident, the report notes, a woman and her grandchild were executed by firing squad in 2011.

<h2>Why is North Korea constructing a satellite launch pad with 'new urgency'?</h2>

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It also quoted some believers who reportedly faced&nbsp;“pigeon torture”, in which their hands were tied behind their backs, rendering them unable to sit or stand for days on.

One victim was quoted as saying. “It was the most painful of all tortures…It was so painful I felt it was better to die.”

In other instances, some of the victims were deprived of sleep, with one woman put in solitary confinement. She later killed herself in 2020 after prison guards refused to let her sleep.

<h2>Christians receive harshest punishments</h2>

Others also faced starvation, dehydration, tainted food, beatings, and being made to adopt agonising positions for prolonged periods.

Though the report, citing Korea Future NGO, points out that the state has punished those practising shamanism, it was Christians who have received the harshest punishments.

The publication said several North Korean Christians hid their faith from their children out of fear of punishment.

It cited the finding of one NGO, Open Doors USA (ODUSA), which said: “A Christian is never safe.”

“Children are encouraged to tell their teachers about any sign of faith in their parents’ home.”

Korea Future said children were taught in school about the “evil deeds” of Christian missionaries, including “rape, blood sucking, organ harvesting, murder, and espionage”.

“One defector told Korea Future, the government published graphic novels in which Christians coaxed children into churches and took them to the basement to draw their blood,” the report said.

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

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A two-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment after North Korean officials found a Bible from his parents. This incident was revealed by the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report 2022, documenting the regime’s crackdown on people having religious beliefs.

A two-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment after North Korean officials found a Bible from his parents. This incident was revealed by the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report 2022, documenting the regime’s crackdown on people having religious beliefs. North Korea considers itself an atheist state despite officially granting freedom to practice religion. However, the Kim Jon-un regime continues to muzzle religious activities in the state. The report mentioned that the family has been jailed, and even the child wasn’t spared. The publication has based its findings on various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), human rights groups, and the United Nations to reveal how Christians—estimated by the UN between 200,000 and 400,000—are being persecuted for their faith under the Kim Jong-un regime. It said that so far, 70 Christians have been jailed. The US report also exposed multiple cases of North Koreans being killed for having Christian beliefs. In one incident, the report notes, a woman and her grandchild were executed by firing squad in 2011. Why is North Korea constructing a satellite launch pad with 'new urgency'? It also quoted some believers who reportedly faced “pigeon torture”, in which their hands were tied behind their backs, rendering them unable to sit or stand for days on. One victim was quoted as saying. “It was the most painful of all tortures…It was so painful I felt it was better to die.” In other instances, some of the victims were deprived of sleep, with one woman put in solitary confinement. She later killed herself in 2020 after prison guards refused to let her sleep. Christians receive harshest punishments Others also faced starvation, dehydration, tainted food, beatings, and being made to adopt agonising positions for prolonged periods. Though the report, citing Korea Future NGO, points out that the state has punished those practising shamanism, it was Christians who have received the harshest punishments. The publication said several North Korean Christians hid their faith from their children out of fear of punishment. It cited the finding of one NGO, Open Doors USA (ODUSA), which said: “A Christian is never safe.” “Children are encouraged to tell their teachers about any sign of faith in their parents’ home.” Korea Future said children were taught in school about the “evil deeds” of Christian missionaries, including “rape, blood sucking, organ harvesting, murder, and espionage”. “One defector told Korea Future, the government published graphic novels in which Christians coaxed children into churches and took them to the basement to draw their blood,” the report said. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Two-year-old jailed for life after North Korean officials catch parents with Bible

The human rights body of Pakistan raised its concern over the amendments made to the controversial laws regarding blasphemy in the country, stating that the laws will exacerbate the religious minorities' persecution.&nbsp;The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023 was unanimously passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan on Tuesday which increased the minimum punishment of those found guilty of insulting Islam's revered personalities from three to 10 years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 million.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistans-obsession-with-blasphemy-laws-leads-to-extrajudicial-killings-mob-violence-379868">Pakistan's obsession with blasphemy laws leads to extrajudicial killings, mob violence</a> 
&nbsp; 
The chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Hina Jilani issued a statement from Lahore on Friday which stated that the enactment of the amended law would increase minorities' persecution.&nbsp;

"While the stated aim of this bill is to curb sectarianism, HRCP believes it is likely to exacerbate the persecution of Pakistan’s beleaguered religious minorities and minority sects," read her statement.

The HRCP stated that the offence has also been made non-bailable by the bill and hence, is in direct violation of the right to personal liberty which has been guaranteed constitutionally under Article 9.&nbsp;

"Given Pakistan’s troubled record of the misuse of such laws, these amendments are likely to be weaponised disproportionately against religious minorities and sects, resulting in false FIRs, harassment and persecution,” the bill stated.&nbsp;

WATCH | Gravitas: Pakistan, protests &amp; blasphemy

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The human rights body added that an increase in the penalty in cases of blasphemy will increase the law's misuse for personal vendettas, as is generally with cases of blasphemy. 
&nbsp; 
"At a time when civil society has been calling for amendments to these laws to prevent their abuse, strengthening this punishment will do the exact opposite," it added.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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The human rights body of Pakistan raised its concern over the amendments made to the controversial laws regarding blasphemy in the country, stating that the laws will exacerbate the religious minorities' persecution.

The human rights body of Pakistan raised its concern over the amendments made to the controversial laws regarding blasphemy in the country, stating that the laws will exacerbate the religious minorities' persecution. The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023 was unanimously passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan on Tuesday which increased the minimum punishment of those found guilty of insulting Islam's revered personalities from three to 10 years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 million. ALSO READ | Pakistan's obsession with blasphemy laws leads to extrajudicial killings, mob violence The chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Hina Jilani issued a statement from Lahore on Friday which stated that the enactment of the amended law would increase minorities' persecution. "While the stated aim of this bill is to curb sectarianism, HRCP believes it is likely to exacerbate the persecution of Pakistan’s beleaguered religious minorities and minority sects," read her statement. The HRCP stated that the offence has also been made non-bailable by the bill and hence, is in direct violation of the right to personal liberty which has been guaranteed constitutionally under Article 9. "Given Pakistan’s troubled record of the misuse of such laws, these amendments are likely to be weaponised disproportionately against religious minorities and sects, resulting in false FIRs, harassment and persecution,” the bill stated. WATCH | Gravitas: Pakistan, protests & blasphemy The human rights body added that an increase in the penalty in cases of blasphemy will increase the law's misuse for personal vendettas, as is generally with cases of blasphemy. "At a time when civil society has been calling for amendments to these laws to prevent their abuse, strengthening this punishment will do the exact opposite," it added. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Pak blasphemy law amendment to worsen minorities’ persecution, says rights body

Up to 200 Iranian government and local agents have sealed off the village of Roshankouh in the Mazandaran province, where a significant number of Baha'is live, and are using heavy earthmoving equipment to destroy their homes in a cruel escalation just two days after previous attacks on Baha'is throughout Iran.

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A video taken today, 2 August 2022, shows heavy equipment destroying <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bahai?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bahai</a> homes in the village of Roushankouh in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iran</a>'s Mazandaran province.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ItsTheirLand?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ItsTheirLand</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BahaiRights?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BahaiRights</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HumanRights?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HumanRights</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZfpRIxUoQr">https://t.co/ZfpRIxUoQr</a> <a href="https://t.co/yTzrNHkYcq">pic.twitter.com/yTzrNHkYcq</a>
— Baha'i International Community (@BahaiBIC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BahaiBIC/status/1554445683972792320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The claims came a day after Iran claimed to have detained six Baha'is on suspicion of spying for Israel. It was the most recent example of the Islamic Republic intensifying its clampdown as a result of pressure from abroad for its broken nuclear agreement. The suspects were connected to the Baha'i centre in Israel, according to a statement from Iran's intelligence ministry, and they had transported and collected information there. The Baha'i sought their release and claimed that the Shiite theocracy in Iran has a long history of persecuting them.

Up to 200 Iranian officials reportedly cordoned off the Baha'i-majority village of Roushankouh in Mazandaran province on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Baha'i International Community. They destroyed some houses and shut off others. The announcement stated that those who attempted to film had their phones seized and that their neighbours were instructed to stay inside and stop capturing photos or videos.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/watch-casper-the-ghostly-octopus-discovered-in-waters-off-hawaii-is-likely-new-specie-505115">WATCH | Casper, the ghostly octopus discovered in waters off Hawaii is likely new species</a>

In Roushankouh, Baha'is have reportedly faced home demolitions in the past, but persecution has gotten worse recently, according to the statement, with over 100 Baha'is either being jailed or having their homes seized. The Universal House of Justice, the Baha'i community's global governing body, has had its headquarters in Haifa, Israel, for many years. Before the establishment of the State of Israel, which the Islamic Republic regards as its main foe in the region, the Baha'i lived there.

(with inputs from agencies)

 
&nbsp;

Up to 200 Iranian government and local agents have sealed off the village of Roshankouh in the Mazandaran province, where a significant number of Baha'is live, and are using heavy earthmoving equipment to destroy their homes in a cruel escalation just two days after previous attacks on Baha'is throughout Iran.

Up to 200 Iranian government and local agents have sealed off the village of Roshankouh in the Mazandaran province, where a significant number of Baha'is live, and are using heavy earthmoving equipment to destroy their homes in a cruel escalation just two days after previous attacks on Baha'is throughout Iran. A video taken today, 2 August 2022, shows heavy equipment destroying #Bahai homes in the village of Roushankouh in #Iran's Mazandaran province.#ItsTheirLand #BahaiRights #HumanRights https://t.co/ZfpRIxUoQr pic.twitter.com/yTzrNHkYcq — Baha'i International Community (@BahaiBIC) August 2, 2022 × The claims came a day after Iran claimed to have detained six Baha'is on suspicion of spying for Israel. It was the most recent example of the Islamic Republic intensifying its clampdown as a result of pressure from abroad for its broken nuclear agreement. The suspects were connected to the Baha'i centre in Israel, according to a statement from Iran's intelligence ministry, and they had transported and collected information there. The Baha'i sought their release and claimed that the Shiite theocracy in Iran has a long history of persecuting them. Up to 200 Iranian officials reportedly cordoned off the Baha'i-majority village of Roushankouh in Mazandaran province on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Baha'i International Community. They destroyed some houses and shut off others. The announcement stated that those who attempted to film had their phones seized and that their neighbours were instructed to stay inside and stop capturing photos or videos. Also Read: WATCH | Casper, the ghostly octopus discovered in waters off Hawaii is likely new species In Roushankouh, Baha'is have reportedly faced home demolitions in the past, but persecution has gotten worse recently, according to the statement, with over 100 Baha'is either being jailed or having their homes seized. The Universal House of Justice, the Baha'i community's global governing body, has had its headquarters in Haifa, Israel, for many years. Before the establishment of the State of Israel, which the Islamic Republic regards as its main foe in the region, the Baha'i lived there. (with inputs from agencies)

WATCH | Iranian government escalates its persecution of Baha'is with brutal home demolitions and land seizures

Italy's top court has ruled that your neighbour's noisy toilet counts as a human rights violation. In a world plagued by genocides and persecution, is Italy trivialising the idea of human rights? Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: Italy says noisy toilets are a human rights violation

It’s been 80 years since Nazi soldiers laid siege to the city of Leningrad, Russia, during the Holocaust, but memories of the desperation haven’t faded away for Russian Jews like Raisa Khusid, who survived starvation and bombardment.

Food was so scarce, Khusid recalled in an interview on Tuesday, that one of her uncles fed them unimaginable things.

"He was actually going outside after the rain to collect the worms," Khusid said through a Russian translator on Zoom.

But only now is Khusid, 80, who lives outside Chicago, eligible for pension benefits from the German government as part of an expanding restitution programme for Holocaust survivors, according to the main negotiating organisation for those benefits.

The group, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, better known as the Claims Conference, announced on Wednesday that it had secured an additional $767 million in benefits for Holocaust survivors. During the past 70 years, the group estimated, the German government has set aside more than $90 billion for Holocaust survivors.

As part of the most recent negotiations, the Claims Conference said, Germany agreed to recognise the extreme suffering of Russian Jews who had endured the more than two-year Nazi siege of Leningrad, which is now St. Petersburg, Russia.

Because Leningrad had not been occupied by the Nazis during the blockade, which lasted from September 1941 to January 1944, previous restitution efforts met with resistance from German officials, said Stuart E. Eizenstat, the group’s longtime top negotiator.

"They said, ‘Look, well, the non-Jews suffered,’" Eizenstat, a former U.S. ambassador to the European Union, said on Tuesday. "We were able to show them Nazi flyers that were dropped that said that Jews were the cause of the siege. So their level of persecution was greater. "

Eizenstat, an expert adviser to the State Department on Holocaust issues under three presidents, commended German negotiators for budging on the issue.

"We’re dealing with people who weren’t even born during the Holocaust," he said, adding that negotiators used Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic. "They still recognise their moral responsibility."

The German Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.

Khusid, who moved to the United States in 2010 to live near her daughter, is one of an estimated 4,500 Holocaust survivors who lived through the siege of Leningrad and is eligible for a pension, the Claims Conference said.

The pensions will pay an annual benefit of about $5,200 or 4,500 euros, according to the group.

An additional 2,000 Holocaust survivors who hid in France and Romania will also qualify for the pensions, which the organisation said had an income-eligibility scale — the annual limits are about $52,000, 45,000 euros in Europe and 168,000 shekels in Israel.

Eizenstat, a former US deputy treasury secretary, pointed out that more than 50% of all Holocaust survivors were currently living at or near poverty levels. The problem, he said, is particularly acute in Eastern Europe.

"Many of these have no extended families," he said. "These pensions are lifelines. We’re talking about people who have to choose between food and medicine and some socialization."

An additional 1,700 survivors who were children during the Holocaust and had previously received one-time payments will now be eligible for supplemental hardship payments of 1,200 euros in 2021 and 2022, the organisation said.

The subject of reparations for Holocaust survivors has been a contentious one in both Germany and Israel over the decades, Eizenstat said, noting that Konrad Adenauer, the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, acknowledged that the country was responsible for the crimes of the Nazis.

"This was an unprecedented statement by a defeated power in a war," Eizenstat said, "to say that they felt responsible for the civilian deaths caused by the defeated power."

But in a 1952 speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, Menachem Begin, a future prime minister, sharply criticised the reparations and questioned how survivors could accept money from people with blood on their hands.

Eizenstat didn’t see it that way.

"I believe that what Germany has done is truly historic and inspiring," he said. "No one could have possibly imagined how far Germany would have come in recognition of its past."

Khusid said that her grandparents had been buried alive by the Nazis and that an uncle who had once brought the family food had starved to death. Another uncle came from Moscow to help her family escape, which involved crossing the treacherous Lake Ladoga during the winter.

"A lot of times, people were shot while trying to escape," she said, adding that her grandchildren struggle to understand her ordeal when she explains it to them.

Eizenstat said that his work was not done, however.

"People say, ‘How long are you going to do this?’" he said. "Well, Hitler wanted a 1,000-year Reich. The least we can do is until the last survivor breathes their last breath."

It’s been 80 years since Nazi soldiers laid siege to the city of Leningrad, Russia, during the Holocaust, but memories of the desperation haven’t faded away for Russian Jews like Raisa Khusid, who survived starvation and bombardment.

It’s been 80 years since Nazi soldiers laid siege to the city of Leningrad, Russia, during the Holocaust, but memories of the desperation haven’t faded away for Russian Jews like Raisa Khusid, who survived starvation and bombardment. Food was so scarce, Khusid recalled in an interview on Tuesday, that one of her uncles fed them unimaginable things. "He was actually going outside after the rain to collect the worms," Khusid said through a Russian translator on Zoom. But only now is Khusid, 80, who lives outside Chicago, eligible for pension benefits from the German government as part of an expanding restitution programme for Holocaust survivors, according to the main negotiating organisation for those benefits. The group, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, better known as the Claims Conference, announced on Wednesday that it had secured an additional $767 million in benefits for Holocaust survivors. During the past 70 years, the group estimated, the German government has set aside more than $90 billion for Holocaust survivors. As part of the most recent negotiations, the Claims Conference said, Germany agreed to recognise the extreme suffering of Russian Jews who had endured the more than two-year Nazi siege of Leningrad, which is now St. Petersburg, Russia. Because Leningrad had not been occupied by the Nazis during the blockade, which lasted from September 1941 to January 1944, previous restitution efforts met with resistance from German officials, said Stuart E. Eizenstat, the group’s longtime top negotiator. "They said, ‘Look, well, the non-Jews suffered,’" Eizenstat, a former U.S. ambassador to the European Union, said on Tuesday. "We were able to show them Nazi flyers that were dropped that said that Jews were the cause of the siege. So their level of persecution was greater. " Eizenstat, an expert adviser to the State Department on Holocaust issues under three presidents, commended German negotiators for budging on the issue. "We’re dealing with people who weren’t even born during the Holocaust," he said, adding that negotiators used Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic. "They still recognise their moral responsibility." The German Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment. Khusid, who moved to the United States in 2010 to live near her daughter, is one of an estimated 4,500 Holocaust survivors who lived through the siege of Leningrad and is eligible for a pension, the Claims Conference said. The pensions will pay an annual benefit of about $5,200 or 4,500 euros, according to the group. An additional 2,000 Holocaust survivors who hid in France and Romania will also qualify for the pensions, which the organisation said had an income-eligibility scale — the annual limits are about $52,000, 45,000 euros in Europe and 168,000 shekels in Israel. Eizenstat, a former US deputy treasury secretary, pointed out that more than 50% of all Holocaust survivors were currently living at or near poverty levels. The problem, he said, is particularly acute in Eastern Europe. "Many of these have no extended families," he said. "These pensions are lifelines. We’re talking about people who have to choose between food and medicine and some socialization." An additional 1,700 survivors who were children during the Holocaust and had previously received one-time payments will now be eligible for supplemental hardship payments of 1,200 euros in 2021 and 2022, the organisation said. The subject of reparations for Holocaust survivors has been a contentious one in both Germany and Israel over the decades, Eizenstat said, noting that Konrad Adenauer, the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, acknowledged that the country was responsible for the crimes of the Nazis. "This was an unprecedented statement by a defeated power in a war," Eizenstat said, "to say that they felt responsible for the civilian deaths caused by the defeated power." But in a 1952 speech to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, Menachem Begin, a future prime minister, sharply criticised the reparations and questioned how survivors could accept money from people with blood on their hands. Eizenstat didn’t see it that way. "I believe that what Germany has done is truly historic and inspiring," he said. "No one could have possibly imagined how far Germany would have come in recognition of its past." Khusid said that her grandparents had been buried alive by the Nazis and that an uncle who had once brought the family food had starved to death. Another uncle came from Moscow to help her family escape, which involved crossing the treacherous Lake Ladoga during the winter. "A lot of times, people were shot while trying to escape," she said, adding that her grandchildren struggle to understand her ordeal when she explains it to them. Eizenstat said that his work was not done, however. "People say, ‘How long are you going to do this?’" he said. "Well, Hitler wanted a 1,000-year Reich. The least we can do is until the last survivor breathes their last breath."

Germany sets aside an additional $767 million for holocaust survivors, officials say

Arzugul Kadeer, the younger sister of veteran Uyghur rights advocate Rebiya Kadeer, is confirmed to have died one week after her release from a Chinese internment camp.

Rebiya Kadeer is a longtime advocate of greater autonomy for China’s Uighur Muslims, she was nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.

Arzugul's relationship with Rebiya had been cut off since mid-2014, but in late 2017 she received information that her sister had died in a camp, reported Radio Free Asia (RFA). 
 
Gravitas: Is forced Uighur labour making your favourite Apple products?

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Speaking out recently on how Chinese authorities have targeted her relatives due to her advocacy efforts abroad, Rebiya said that they forced her granddaughter Aydidar Kahar and her younger brother Mamatjan Kadeer to speak onscreen at a press conference in March, claiming that all members of the family are "free" and living "happily".

Rebiya was a prominent businesswoman in the Xinjiang region, who was released from a Chinese prison in March 2005 on medical parole after being jailed for six years for sending politically sensitive newspaper clippings abroad and went into exile in the US. She has served 11 years as leader of the exiled World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and heads the International Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Foundation.&nbsp;

A total of 38 of the Uyghur rights advocate`s family members have been in some form of detention in the region. She also noted that she and Arzugul had continued speaking on the phone through 2014 despite threats from the police, according to RFA. A source told RFA that Arzugul was first detained for a month by police after deadly unrest in Xinjiang`s capital Urumqi in 2009 and for a second time in 2014 when China cracked down on the Uyghur society in the name of preventing 'religious extremism'.

According to the source, Arzugul was detained for a third and final time in 2017 at the age of 69. The source said that she was unable to withstand the interrogations and torture she received while in detention and that her health rapidly declined, resulting in her loss of physical strength and inability to move.

Arzugul was later taken to the neighbourhood committee of Saqsaq in a state of poor health, after which she was taken to a hospital, where she passed away. A police officer in Kuchar city also confirmed that Arzugul died in hospital three or four years ago.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Abdurashid Niyaz, an independent researcher in Turkey, told RFA that cracking down on dissidents and their family members is "a particularly cruel and inhumane act".

"Although it is very clear that these detained and surveilled prisoners have absolutely no relationship to the political activities their relatives are engaged in, the Chinese communists are adopting and using such cruel methods in an attempt to preserve their rule and to achieve stability, even if for just a period... But humanity will not forgive this, and cannot accept it, because punishing people`s relatives is a method that is contradictory to human nature," he said.&nbsp;

Since 2017, the Chinese government has detained more than one million Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Hui, and members of other Muslim groups, as well as some Christians, in specially built internment camps or converted detention facilities in Xinjiang under the national counterterrorism law and the regional counter-extremism policy noted the US International Religious Freedom report for 2020.&nbsp;

Authorities subjected individuals to forced disappearance, political indoctrination, torture, physical and psychological abuse, including forced sterilization and sexual abuse, forced labour, and prolonged detention without trial because of their religion and ethnicity, according to the US report.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the whereabouts of hundreds of prominent Uyghur intellectuals, religious scholars, cultural figures, doctors, journalists, artists, academics, and other professionals, in addition to many other citizens who were arrested or detained, remained unknown, while reports of individuals dying as a result of injuries sustained during interrogations, medical neglect and torture came to the fore.

(With inputs from agencies)

Arzugul Kadeer, the younger sister of veteran Uyghur rights advocate Rebiya Kadeer, is confirmed to have died one week after her release from a Chinese internment camp.

Arzugul Kadeer, the younger sister of veteran Uyghur rights advocate Rebiya Kadeer, is confirmed to have died one week after her release from a Chinese internment camp. Rebiya Kadeer is a longtime advocate of greater autonomy for China’s Uighur Muslims, she was nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Arzugul's relationship with Rebiya had been cut off since mid-2014, but in late 2017 she received information that her sister had died in a camp, reported Radio Free Asia (RFA). Gravitas: Is forced Uighur labour making your favourite Apple products? Speaking out recently on how Chinese authorities have targeted her relatives due to her advocacy efforts abroad, Rebiya said that they forced her granddaughter Aydidar Kahar and her younger brother Mamatjan Kadeer to speak onscreen at a press conference in March, claiming that all members of the family are "free" and living "happily". Rebiya was a prominent businesswoman in the Xinjiang region, who was released from a Chinese prison in March 2005 on medical parole after being jailed for six years for sending politically sensitive newspaper clippings abroad and went into exile in the US. She has served 11 years as leader of the exiled World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and heads the International Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Foundation. A total of 38 of the Uyghur rights advocate`s family members have been in some form of detention in the region. She also noted that she and Arzugul had continued speaking on the phone through 2014 despite threats from the police, according to RFA. A source told RFA that Arzugul was first detained for a month by police after deadly unrest in Xinjiang`s capital Urumqi in 2009 and for a second time in 2014 when China cracked down on the Uyghur society in the name of preventing 'religious extremism'. According to the source, Arzugul was detained for a third and final time in 2017 at the age of 69. The source said that she was unable to withstand the interrogations and torture she received while in detention and that her health rapidly declined, resulting in her loss of physical strength and inability to move. Arzugul was later taken to the neighbourhood committee of Saqsaq in a state of poor health, after which she was taken to a hospital, where she passed away. A police officer in Kuchar city also confirmed that Arzugul died in hospital three or four years ago. Meanwhile, Abdurashid Niyaz, an independent researcher in Turkey, told RFA that cracking down on dissidents and their family members is "a particularly cruel and inhumane act". "Although it is very clear that these detained and surveilled prisoners have absolutely no relationship to the political activities their relatives are engaged in, the Chinese communists are adopting and using such cruel methods in an attempt to preserve their rule and to achieve stability, even if for just a period... But humanity will not forgive this, and cannot accept it, because punishing people`s relatives is a method that is contradictory to human nature," he said. Since 2017, the Chinese government has detained more than one million Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Hui, and members of other Muslim groups, as well as some Christians, in specially built internment camps or converted detention facilities in Xinjiang under the national counterterrorism law and the regional counter-extremism policy noted the US International Religious Freedom report for 2020. Authorities subjected individuals to forced disappearance, political indoctrination, torture, physical and psychological abuse, including forced sterilization and sexual abuse, forced labour, and prolonged detention without trial because of their religion and ethnicity, according to the US report. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of hundreds of prominent Uyghur intellectuals, religious scholars, cultural figures, doctors, journalists, artists, academics, and other professionals, in addition to many other citizens who were arrested or detained, remained unknown, while reports of individuals dying as a result of injuries sustained during interrogations, medical neglect and torture came to the fore. (With inputs from agencies)

Xinjiang internment camps: Sister of Uighur rights advocate Rebiya Kadeer dies after release from detention

Beijing's persecution of Uighurs is not new, it has been termed as genocide and a violation of Human Rights by major world powers. The Uighurs continue to be subjected to intimidation and threats. WION tells you more.

High level Chinese study exposes Uighur's persecution

The US Commerce Department announced Monday it is <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-will-aim-to-persuade-others-to-call-out-china-over-uighurs-at-un-mike-pompeo-248164">blacklisting 28 Chinese entities</a> that it says are implicated in rights violations and abuses<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/dont-know-much-about-imran-khan-on-situation-of-uighurs-muslims-in-china-249715"> targeting Uighurs</a> and other mostly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/a-day-in-the-life-of-uighurs-251734">In pictures: A day in the life of China’s persecuted Uighur community</a>

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the move, which bars the named entities from purchasing US products, saying the United States "cannot and will not tolerate the brutal suppression of ethnic minorities within China." 
 
Watch: Uighurs use Tiktok to expose China's detention camps in Xinjiang

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According to an update to the US Federal Register set to be published Wednesday, the blacklisted firms included video surveillance company Hikvision, as well as artificial intelligence companies Megvii Technology and SenseTime.

Rights groups say China has detained around one million Uighurs and other Muslims in re-education camps in the western Xinjiang region in a step Washington says is reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

China had until recently denied the camps existed but now claims they are "vocational training schools" necessary to control terrorism while decrying interference in its "internal affairs."

The US move came after Washington banned technology giant Huawei and other Chinese firms from government contracts, amid the trade war between the two countries.

The US Commerce Department announced Monday it is blacklisting 28 Chinese entities that it says are implicated in rights violations and abuses targeting Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region.

The US Commerce Department announced Monday it is blacklisting 28 Chinese entities that it says are implicated in rights violations and abuses targeting Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region. In pictures: A day in the life of China’s persecuted Uighur community Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the move, which bars the named entities from purchasing US products, saying the United States "cannot and will not tolerate the brutal suppression of ethnic minorities within China." Watch: Uighurs use Tiktok to expose China's detention camps in Xinjiang According to an update to the US Federal Register set to be published Wednesday, the blacklisted firms included video surveillance company Hikvision, as well as artificial intelligence companies Megvii Technology and SenseTime. Rights groups say China has detained around one million Uighurs and other Muslims in re-education camps in the western Xinjiang region in a step Washington says is reminiscent of Nazi Germany. China had until recently denied the camps existed but now claims they are "vocational training schools" necessary to control terrorism while decrying interference in its "internal affairs." The US move came after Washington banned technology giant Huawei and other Chinese firms from government contracts, amid the trade war between the two countries.

US puts 28 Chinese organisations on economic blacklist over Beijing’s brutal crackdown on Uighur Muslim minority

US President Donald Trump met with survivors of religious persecution on Wednesday. A survivor of the mosque attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, thanked Donald Trump for the U.S. President's "leadership" in the wake of the March 15 attack.

U.S. President meets with survivors of religious persecution

Pope Francis issued a warning to Catholics who criticise his calls to welcome migrants with open arms, in a much-awaited text published Monday.

The Argentine pontiff has put the plight of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty at the heart of his five-year papacy, putting him at odds with a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the world.&nbsp

In the third apostolic exhortation of his pontificate -- a guideline on how Catholics can strive for "holiness" -- the 81-year-old unexpectedly hit out at his critics.

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<h5>In April 2016, Francis flew to a Greek island on the frontline of the migrant crisis, Lesbos, and returned to Rome with three families of Syrian Muslims</h5>
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"Some Catholics consider the situation of migrants to be a secondary issue," he wrote.

"That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children."

Citing a passage from the Old Testament urging the welcoming of foreigners, Francis remarked sharply that the issue was not "a notion invented by some pope, or a momentary fad".

In April 2016, he flew to a Greek island on the frontline of the migrant crisis, Lesbos, and returned to Rome with three families of Syrian Muslims.

The pontiff also took the opportunity to reiterate his staunch opposition to abortion in the text entitled "Gaudete et exsultate" (Rejoice and be glad). &nbsp

"Our defence of the innocent unborn needs to be clear, firm and passionate," he said, adding that the "lives of the poor" were "equally sacred."

The first years of Francis' papacy were peppered with strong words against governments, which he has accused of not doing enough to welcome the millions of refugees and migrants fleeing their home countries.

But over the years, he has moderated his discourse, suggesting that host countries had the right to regulate the number of arrivals according to their capacity to accommodate and integrate foreigners.

"There are those who feel encouraged by the pope's stance on migrants and it is still a majority," Christophe Dufour, archbishop of the French city of Aix-en-Provence, told AFP.&nbsp

"And there is a small number who say: 'he is naive, let him come and live among migrants, it is not so simple'." &nbsp

The Argentine pontiff has put the plight of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty at the heart of his five-year papacy, putting him at odds with a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the world

Pope Francis issued a warning to Catholics who criticise his calls to welcome migrants with open arms, in a much-awaited text published Monday. The Argentine pontiff has put the plight of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty at the heart of his five-year papacy, putting him at odds with a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the world. In the third apostolic exhortation of his pontificate -- a guideline on how Catholics can strive for "holiness" -- the 81-year-old unexpectedly hit out at his critics. In April 2016, Francis flew to a Greek island on the frontline of the migrant crisis, Lesbos, and returned to Rome with three families of Syrian Muslims × "Some Catholics consider the situation of migrants to be a secondary issue," he wrote. "That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children." Citing a passage from the Old Testament urging the welcoming of foreigners, Francis remarked sharply that the issue was not "a notion invented by some pope, or a momentary fad". In April 2016, he flew to a Greek island on the frontline of the migrant crisis, Lesbos, and returned to Rome with three families of Syrian Muslims. The pontiff also took the opportunity to reiterate his staunch opposition to abortion in the text entitled "Gaudete et exsultate" (Rejoice and be glad). "Our defence of the innocent unborn needs to be clear, firm and passionate," he said, adding that the "lives of the poor" were "equally sacred." The first years of Francis' papacy were peppered with strong words against governments, which he has accused of not doing enough to welcome the millions of refugees and migrants fleeing their home countries. But over the years, he has moderated his discourse, suggesting that host countries had the right to regulate the number of arrivals according to their capacity to accommodate and integrate foreigners. "There are those who feel encouraged by the pope's stance on migrants and it is still a majority," Christophe Dufour, archbishop of the French city of Aix-en-Provence, told AFP. "And there is a small number who say: 'he is naive, let him come and live among migrants, it is not so simple'."

Pope hits out at critics of his pro-migrant policy

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