Adrian Zenz
@adrianzenz.bsky.social
Director in China Studies, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Member, European Commission Expert Group on Forced Labor. Research: Xinjiang, Tibet, ILO, state-imposed forced labor, OSINT. https://victimsofcommunism.org/leader/adrian-zenz-phd
Zhang observed how Uyghur culture is now nearly extinct: the village he worked in has been largely emptied of working-age adults — many are in prison or shipped away for forced labor. Speaking Uyghur is prohibited in schools. Mosques are closed or guarded 24/7.
Now let's see ... the hordes of pro-Beijing govt trolls like Vijay Prashad won't like a Chinese policeman with the inside scoop on China's ongoing torture genocide. Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/16/c... From the brilliant scholar, Adrian Zenz
Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended
A rare insider testimony reveals how China tries to hide state violence in Xinjiang
foreignpolicy.com
Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended A rare insider testimony reveals how China tries to hide state violence in Xinjiang archive.is/en7Mq
NEW EVIDENCE: Former Xinjiang police officer (2014–2023) confirms that detentions and forced labor continue today. From 2023, officials detained Uyghurs who avoided forced labor or allegedly disobeyed state orders. Thread below: foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/16/c...
Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended
A rare insider testimony reveals how China tries to hide state violence in Xinjiang
foreignpolicy.com
Mandatory reading for two types of people: 1) "I just want to China, it was awesome." 2) "China is taking over the world, stop resisting and just submit."
Adrian Zenz@adrianzenz.bsky.social · 5mo agoNEW EVIDENCE: Former Xinjiang police officer (2014–2023) confirms that detentions and forced labor continue today. From 2023, officials detained Uyghurs who avoided forced labor or allegedly disobeyed state orders. Thread below: foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/16/c...
NEW EVIDENCE: Former Xinjiang police officer (2014–2023) confirms that detentions and forced labor continue today. From 2023, officials detained Uyghurs who avoided forced labor or allegedly disobeyed state orders. Thread below: foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/16/c...
Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended
A rare insider testimony reveals how China tries to hide state violence in Xinjiang
foreignpolicy.com
"Irreparable harm": Critical new statement from UN Special Procedures highlights strategic nexus between land seizure and an alarming increase in forced labor transfers in Xinjiang and Tibet. Thread: www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
UN experts alarmed by reports of forced labour of Uyghur, Tibetan and other minorities across China
GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed deep concern regarding persistent allegations of forced labour affecting Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz minority groups as well as Tibetans within the Xinjiang Uyghur A...
ohchr.org
I am honored to be appointed to the European Commission's Expert Group on Forced Labor, informing guidelines and indicators for the EU Forced Labor Regulation (EUFLR) through expert meetings in Brussels. 2026 will be pivotal for EUFLR implementation. My focus will be on state-imposed forced labor.
"Irreparable harm": Critical new statement from UN Special Procedures highlights strategic nexus between land seizure and an alarming increase in forced labor transfers in Xinjiang and Tibet. Thread: www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
UN experts alarmed by reports of forced labour of Uyghur, Tibetan and other minorities across China
GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed deep concern regarding persistent allegations of forced labour affecting Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz minority groups as well as Tibetans within the Xinjiang Uyghur A...
ohchr.org
I am honored to be appointed to the European Commission's Expert Group on Forced Labor, informing guidelines and indicators for the EU Forced Labor Regulation (EUFLR) through expert meetings in Brussels. 2026 will be pivotal for EUFLR implementation. My focus will be on state-imposed forced labor.
Great to see the International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS) officially launch. I am proud to be part of it. sheffield.ac.uk/las/news/new...
New website launched for the International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS)
The International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS), led by Dr David Tobin, has launched its website, bringing together researchers from around the world to share critical, policy-relevant wo...
sheffield.ac.uk
Major victory: Chinese tomato exports to Italy collapse, following our research report & BBC investigation into tomato-linked Uyghur forced labor and land-grabbing. Official 2025 customs data confirms the collapse. Over 2/3 of China’s tomato exports are linked to Xinjiang. Report links below:
Excited to see our 136-page report on Uyghur forced labor in Xinjiang's agricultural production & land grabbing now published with University of Sheffield's International Network for Critical China Studies. sites.google.com/sheffield.ac...
Great to see the International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS) officially launch. I am proud to be part of it. sheffield.ac.uk/las/news/new...
New website launched for the International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS)
The International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS), led by Dr David Tobin, has launched its website, bringing together researchers from around the world to share critical, policy-relevant wo...
sheffield.ac.uk
Major victory: Chinese tomato exports to Italy collapse, following our research report & BBC investigation into tomato-linked Uyghur forced labor and land-grabbing. Official 2025 customs data confirms the collapse. Over 2/3 of China’s tomato exports are linked to Xinjiang. Report links below:
Next week we hold our annual China Forum in Washington, DC, with panels on Transnational Repression, Uyghur forced labor, responding to China's global agenda, and the rising challenge of techno-authoritarianism. Registration link and list of speakers below: 👇
Next week we hold our annual China Forum in Washington, DC, with panels on Transnational Repression, Uyghur forced labor, responding to China's global agenda, and the rising challenge of techno-authoritarianism. Registration link and list of speakers below: 👇
At #APSA2025 in Vancouver, I was privileged to present papers on Investigative Policy Analysis, the research methodology I use to uncover Xinjiang's policies, and on the information-coercion nexus in authoritarian repression. The venue featured stunning panoramic views.
Systemic Coercion, Forced Labor, and Land Grabbing in Xinjiang's Agricultural Sector: Our recent research report provides a detailed analysis of the systemic, state-imposed forced labor present throughout Xinjiang's agricultural sector. THREAD:
Systemic Coercion, Forced Labor, and Land Grabbing in Xinjiang's Agricultural Sector: Our recent research report provides a detailed analysis of the systemic, state-imposed forced labor present throughout Xinjiang's agricultural sector. THREAD:
The Cost of Silence: Reflections Three Years After the Xinjiang Police Files Leak Powerful op-ed by Rahima Mahmut: "despite the outcry that followed, despite the condemnations and calls for justice, we have seen very little in the way of concrete action" bitterwinter.org/the-cost-of-...
The Cost of Silence: Reflections Three Years After the Xinjiang Police Files Leak
The Files should have generated robust policies against companies profiting from slave labour in the Uyghur region. In the UK, it did not happen.
bitterwinter.org
Major media investigation finds thousands of Uyghurs forced to work in 75 factories across 11 Chinese regions, with links to major western companies. I supported this joint investigation into state-imposed forced labor transfers by @nytimes.com @spiegel.de @tbij.bsky.social. THREAD: 👇
Major media investigation finds thousands of Uyghurs forced to work in 75 factories across 11 Chinese regions, with links to major western companies. I supported this joint investigation into state-imposed forced labor transfers by @nytimes.com @spiegel.de @tbij.bsky.social. THREAD: 👇
It was my privilege to write the foreword for "Unbroken", the testimony and story of @rushanabbas.bsky.social. This powerful book details Rushan's activism and her inspiring fight for her imprisoned sister despite targeted smear campaigns and continued opposition. 🧵
It was my pleasure to contribute analysis and internal Chinese state documents to this important investigation.
Scilla Alecci@scillaa.bsky.social · last yr.#ChinaTargets —an investigation by @icij.org & 42 media partners in 30 countries—sheds new light on the vast scale of China's #TransnationalRepression and the feckless response of authorities in many nations where those who have been targeted now seek refuge. www.icij.org/investigatio...
Today I joined a panel on Uyghur women's reproductive rights violations as a side event of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), alongside @rushanabbas.bsky.social, @sophiedrich.bsky.social, organized by @cuyghurs.bsky.social. Related recent publication: www.cjlpa.org/post/sexual-...
Today I joined a panel on Uyghur women's reproductive rights violations as a side event of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), alongside @rushanabbas.bsky.social, @sophiedrich.bsky.social, organized by @cuyghurs.bsky.social. Related recent publication: www.cjlpa.org/post/sexual-...
Essay by @jwassers.bsky.social on the eerie parallels between Thailand's deportation of Uyghurs in 2015 and recently in 2025. www.npr.org/2025/03/08/n...
Opinion: Thailand's deportation of Uyghurs to China has echoes of 10 years ago
Thailand's recent deportations of Uyghurs to China have eerie parallels with a large deportation in 2015, in which the country bowed to Beijing, writes historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom.
npr.org
Pleased to see my latest work on the evolution of Xinjiang's mass re-education published in the Journal of Contemporary China. It draws on new internal state files & and witness accounts to assess the policy evolution of the mass internments between 2013-2018. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Innovating Repression: Policy Experimentation and the Evolution of Beijing’s Re-Education Campaign in Xinjiang
This article argues that Beijing’s campaign of mass internment in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region evolved through a creative local policy experimentation process. This resulted in an ‘innovat...
tandfonline.com
Devastating development: 40 Uyghurs have been sent from Thailand to Xinjiang where they face severe rights abuses. China's embassy in Thailand posts pictures parading "Chinese illegal immigrants," claiming that after "fulfilling relevant legal procedures" they will be "returned to normal life."
