One million Uighur Muslims held by Chinese government

Under the pretext of countering terrorism and religious extremism, China holds Uighur Muslims at ‘re-education’ camps.

An investigation by the Associated Press news agency shows a systematic campaign by the Chinese government to strip young Uighur Muslims of their language and culture.

The UN has said around one million Muslims in the Xinjiang region have been rounded up and held in so-called “re-education” centres – camps the Uighurs claim are intended to replace the next generation’s Uighur identity with a Chinese one.

The Chinese government has denied the allegations.

Al Jazeera’s Mereana Hond speaks with Uighurs who have not seen their children in years.