China Cables

China Cables is an investigation into the surveillance and mass internment without charge or trial of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

In this investigation

Mosaic showing mugshots of thousands of Uyghurs from leaked files

XINJIANG POLICE FILES

The faces of China’s detention camps in Xinjiang

A new leak of Chinese government records reveals thousands of never-before seen mug shots of Uyghurs and other photos from inside the notorious internment camps, as well as new details of the national mass detention program.

By Scilla Alecci | May 24, 2022

VIDEO

Watch: China Cables Exposes Chilling Details of Mass Detention in Xinjiang

A new leak of classified Chinese government documents has exposed the secret details behind China's mass detention camps.

By Scilla Alecci | November 24, 2019

READ THE DOCUMENTS

Read the China Cables Documents

Download and read the classified documents at the heart of the China Cables.

By ICIJ | November 24, 2019

Latest from China Cables

CHINA CABLES

Chinese arms flow into the US and other countries despite manufacturers’ alleged role in Xinjiang repression

Dec 10, 2024

Woman wearing a white shirt being escorted by two Chinese police officers wearing blue uniforms, with a small jet in the background.

Asia-Pacific

China relied on extrajudicial means to force thousands of fugitives to repatriate, human rights activists say

Apr 16, 2024

IMPACT

UN reports China may have committed ‘crimes against humanity’ in Xinjiang camps

Sep 01, 2022

Six mug shots from the Xinjiang Police Files

IMPACT

UK, US and Germany say Xinjiang Police Files offer ‘shocking’ new evidence of China’s human rights abuses

May 24, 2022

CHINA CABLES

International pressure accelerates shift to ‘other forms of control’ in Xinjiang, expert says

Feb 08, 2022

Protesters in London outside the Chinese Embassy

CHINA CABLES

As global pressure over human rights abuses in Xinjiang picks up, China remains defiant

Jul 15, 2021

China's flag flying at European Parliament

IMPACT

EU, US, Canada, and UK sanction Chinese officials for human rights violations in Xinjiang

Mar 22, 2021

CHINA CABLES

Uighur Woman Tells Dutch Newspaper She Shared Leaked Chinese Government Documents

Dec 07, 2019

Accountability

US House Demands China Sanctions Over Uighur Crackdown

Dec 04, 2019

IMPACT

End Detention ‘Immediately,’ US Says as World Reacts to China Cables

Nov 26, 2019

CHINA CABLES

Exposed: China’s Operating Manuals for Mass Internment and Arrest by Algorithm

Nov 24, 2019

MASS SURVEILLANCE

How China Targets Uighurs ‘One by One’ for Using a Mobile App

Nov 24, 2019

schoolchildren walking below surveillance cameras in Akto, south of Kashgar, in China's western Xinjiang region

Asia-Pacific

China Cables: Who Are the Uighurs and Why Mass Detention?

Nov 24, 2019

Asia-Pacific

Xinjiang’s Architect of Mass Detention: Zhu Hailun

Nov 24, 2019

COLLABORATION

About the China Cables Investigation

Nov 23, 2019

Read all stories from China Cables

Key findings

China Cables reveals, in the government’s own words and authoritative detail, a description of China’s extrajudicial internment and compulsory indoctrination of Muslims.

Confirms China's camps are involuntary indoctrination centers under heavy 24-hour guard — with high watchtowers, internal cameras and dedicated police bases.

China Cables exposes key details of China's mass-surveillance system that is used to control routine behavior, curb internal communication and isolate Xinjiang from the rest of the world.

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China Cables

In this investigation

XINJIANG POLICE FILES

The faces of China’s detention camps in Xinjiang

By Scilla Alecci | May 24, 2022

VIDEO

Watch: China Cables Exposes Chilling Details of Mass Detention in Xinjiang

By Scilla Alecci | November 24, 2019

READ THE DOCUMENTS

Read the China Cables Documents

By ICIJ | November 24, 2019

Latest from China Cables

Chinese arms flow into the US and other countries despite manufacturers’ alleged role in Xinjiang repression

China relied on extrajudicial means to force thousands of fugitives to repatriate, human rights activists say

UN reports China may have committed ‘crimes against humanity’ in Xinjiang camps

UK, US and Germany say Xinjiang Police Files offer ‘shocking’ new evidence of China’s human rights abuses

International pressure accelerates shift to ‘other forms of control’ in Xinjiang, expert says

As global pressure over human rights abuses in Xinjiang picks up, China remains defiant

EU, US, Canada, and UK sanction Chinese officials for human rights violations in Xinjiang

China’s actions in Xinjiang ‘constitute genocide,’ US says

Uighur repression ‘turbocharged by technology,’ confidential documents show

ICC complaint alleging Uighur genocide cites China Cables as evidence

British lawmakers call for sanctions over Uighur human rights abuses

US moves to ban imports tied to forced Uighur labor in China’s Xinjiang region

‘Huge uptick’ in Chinese propaganda over Uighur camps, report finds

US sanctions architects of China’s internment camps

Trump signs Uighur sanctions bill amid Bolton claims, provoking China fury

China Cables wins top SPJ prize

US blacklists Chinese companies linked to Uighur abuses

US Senate approves bill to punish China over Uighur rights

Uighurs Sent From Camps to Factories, New Report Says

New Leak Shows How China Targets Uighurs in Xinjiang

Politicians Push For Sanctions, Olympic TV Boycott After China Cables

How the world learned of China’s mass internment camps

Watch: A voice for Xinjiang detainees

Uighur Woman Tells Dutch Newspaper She Shared Leaked Chinese Government Documents

US House Demands China Sanctions Over Uighur Crackdown

End Detention ‘Immediately,’ US Says as World Reacts to China Cables

Exposed: China’s Operating Manuals for Mass Internment and Arrest by Algorithm

How China Targets Uighurs ‘One by One’ for Using a Mobile App

China Cables: Who Are the Uighurs and Why Mass Detention?

Xinjiang’s Architect of Mass Detention: Zhu Hailun

About the China Cables Investigation

Key findings

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