President Xi Jinping marked the 70th founding anniversary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Urumqi with all the familiar symbols of Chinese state power: red banners, thunderous applause, grandiose speeches. But beyond the stage lights and orchestrated clapping lies a darker story, one that the United Nations put into words that same year. In August 2022, the UN Human Rights Office released a landmark assessment, accusing China of committing “serious human rights violations” in Xinjiang that may amount to crimes against humanity. The report spoke of arbitrary detentions, forced labor, sexual violence, and an entire surveillance system designed to erase Uyghur culture. For years, leaks, testimonies, and satellite images had hinted at this. But now, the world’s top human rights body has put it on record. The celebration inside Urumqi’s hall was scripted, but the suffering outside could no longer be hidden. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DqJz-gF5fTA