While the Chinese government has loosened a ban on Uyghurs traveling outside of China, it places onerous burdens on those who want to go abroad, violating their internationally protected rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Monday.
These restrictions are another example of Beijing’s repression of the 12-million strong Uyghurs in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, although authorities appear to want to project a sense of normalcy to the rest of the world, the report said.
Uyghurs who apply to visit family abroad must disclose the purpose of their trip and an invitation from the relative, along with personal details, including their address, work status and other relevant documents, according to those who have recently left Xinjiang or met with relatives from the region.
Authorities will also restrict travel by allowing only one family member to go at a time, using other family members as leverage to ensure their return, several Uyghurs told HRW.
Applicants may also need a “guarantor,” often another official, and failing to comply puts family members at risk of punishment.
Once abroad, Uyghur travelers cannot engage with activists or speak critically about the Chinese government. They also must return within a specified time frame, ranging from a few days to several months.
For business trips, Uyghurs are only allowed to visit certain countries, such as Kazakhstan, and are banned from traveling to “sensitive” nations with large Muslim populations like Turkey.
“The modest thaw in China’s travel restrictions has allowed some Uyghurs to briefly reunite with loved ones abroad after having no news for years, but the Chinese government’s travel restrictions are still used to oppress Uyghurs in Xinjiang and in the diaspora,” said Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, or HRW, in the report.
“The Chinese government continues to deny Uyghurs their right to leave the country, restrict their speech and associations when abroad, and punish them for having foreign ties,” he said.
Still tightly controlled
For nearly a decade, Chinese authorities have clamped down harshly on Uyghurs and other Turkic groups in Xinjiang, putting an estimated 1.8 million in concentration camps in the name of stamping out terrorism and religious extremism.
They began confiscating Uyghurs’ passports during a “strike hard” campaign in 2016 and imprisoned some for contacting people abroad.
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In spring 2024, authorities began allowing Uyghurs from overseas who were not critical of China’s policies to make restricted visits to Xinjiang. They also have returned the passports of some Uyghurs and allowed them to apply for travel abroad.
Despite the slight relaxation of travel restrictions, the process is still tightly controlled and limited, according to HRW’s interviews with 23 Uyghurs outside China between October 2024 and February 2025, and a review of relevant official documents.
While abroad, travelers are closely monitored, and upon return, their passports are confiscated, and they are questioned about their trip and contacts.
Uyghurs living abroad can sometimes visit Xinjiang after a strict and lengthy vetting process. Those with foreign passports still need approval from local police and a neighborhood committee.
Once they arrive in Xinjiang, some are questioned or told to stay in hotels instead of family homes.
Join the tour
Uyghurs living abroad who apply for a visa to enter China face thorough background checks, and even attending nonpolitical events or sending their children to Uyghur-language schools can lead to a visa denial, the report said.
Some are directed by Chinese diplomatic missions abroad to join official tours to Xinjiang, requiring personal information and approval from various Chinese authorities, including local police, the local public security bureau and counterterrorism unit, and a neighborhood committee.
Uyghurs holding foreign passports are additionally required to renounce their Chinese citizenship to participate in such tours, the report said.
Those who join them say they are a safer option with a quicker and easier visa application process, rather than traveling on their own and risking police interrogation and possible detention.
While on the tours, Uyghur are closely monitored by Chinese minders, must obtain permission to visit their families, must speak Mandarin Chinese and must participate in propaganda activities with provided scripts that praise the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s policies in Xinjiang.
Through controlled visits and tours, the Chinese government keeps a tight grip on the Uyghur diaspora. Some Uyghurs stay silent or avoid activism and cultural activities, hoping to reconnect with their families and visit the region.
“Uyghurs are facing stringent conditions and requirements if they want to briefly reunite or even just to communicate with family members in China,” Uluyol said in the report. “Being able to contact or visit loved ones abroad shouldn’t be a privilege granted to a few Uyghurs, but is a right that the Chinese government is obligated to respect.”
Edited by Malcolm Foster.