The architecture of repression: Unpacking Xinjiang’s governance
October 19, 2021In February 2019, under the jurisdiction of the Shuimogou District Police Station, a total of 552 households had family members detained. Relatives of the detainees were ‘getting emotional and constantly went to their neighbourhood committees to ask questions,’ according to an 11 February police memo.
In response, the police station decided to dispatch officers to visit whoever asked questions in their homes more frequently in order to ‘calm their thoughts’. The same police report mentions a teenage Uyghur girl who had dropped out of school and whose father was detained for re-education, stating: ‘[Her] mood has been down lately. She sometimes posted texts on [her] WeChat Moment about finding life hopeless. The neighbourhood police officer has worked on her thinking. The Neighbourhood Committee will pay more attention to this person’s movements and report [to the police station] in a timely manner.’