In northwest China is the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region mainly occupied by the Turkic speaking Muslim ethnic group, the Uyghurs. In the last decade, the Chinese government has established hundreds of camps and imprisoned over a million Uygurs.

The camps are officially listed as education centers and ""show camps" opened to western journalists show inmates sitting in classrooms learning Mandarin and other government approved subjects.

Outside these "show camps", the stories are different. According to released inmates and family members, Uyghurs are tortured, thrown into solitary confinement, and other stressful conditions. Once their will is broken, the inmate will undergo re-education designed to transform him or her into a model Chinese citizen.

According to the government, the arrests and imprisonments are necessary to fight terrorism and separatism in the region. However, the scale of imprisonment suggests the government is attempting to transform the population into loyal Han Chinese citizens.

Uyghurs have been arrested for having long beards, wearing a veil or any other public display of religion. Contact with relatives abroad can result in arrest. Uyghurs who work abroad are frequently arrested as soon as they return. The slightest hint of disloyalty or religious behavior can have entire families and even villages imprisoned.

Unlike most countries, citizens can be detained but not charged with a crime. Moreover, they receive no trial, nor are they given access to a lawyer. And if both parents are arrested, children will disappear and will be difficult to find. Release will only occur once the inmate has demonstrated loyalty to the state and the President. Thus, the government actions suggest an attempt to wipe out an ethnic group not to protect the state from terrorism.