buzzfeed--2020-08-30--Facebook Fired An Employee Who Collected Evidence Of Right-Wing Pages Getting Preferential Treatment

Facebook employees collected evidence showing the company is giving right-wing pages preferential treatment when it comes to misinformation .
And they ’ re worried about how the company will handle the president ’ s falsehoods in an election year .
After months of debate and disagreement over the handling of inflammatory or misleading posts from Donald Trump , Facebook employees want CEO Mark Zuckerberg to explain what the company would do if the leader of the free world uses the social network to undermine the results of the 2020 US presidential election .
“ I do think we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to be used to aggressively undermine the legitimacy of the US elections , in a way that has never been possible in history , ” one Facebook employee wrote in a group on Workplace , the company ’ s internal communication platform , earlier this week .
For the past week , this scenario has been a topic of heated discussion inside Facebook and was a top question for its leader .
Some 2,900 employees asked Zuckerberg to address it publicly during a company-wide meeting on Thursday , which he partly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position . ''
Zuckerberg ’ s remarks came amid growing internal concerns about the company 's competence in handling misinformation , and the precautions it is taking to ensure its platform isn ’ t used to disrupt or mislead ahead of the US presidential election .
Though Facebook says it has committed more money and resources to avoid repeating its failures during the 2016 election , some employees believe it isn ’ t enough .
President Trump has already spent months raising questions about the legitimacy of the upcoming 2020 election , spreading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say if he ’ d accept the possibility of losing to Democratic nominee Joe Biden in November .
In July , Trump told Fox News he wasn ’ t sure if he ’ d concede to Biden , casting doubt on whether there would be a peaceful transition of power if the former vice president wins the election .
`` I have to see .
I 'm not just going to say yes .
I 'm not going to say no , '' the president said .
On Facebook ’ s internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election question remained civil prior to Thursday ’ s all-hands meeting .
Employees debated the merits of censoring a sitting president ’ s potentially false statements about election results with one person noting that “ it would be a really troubling policy to apply globally.
” `` America ca n't afford for Facebook to take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the integrity of our democracy , ” said Jesse Lehrich , a former foreign policy spokesperson to Hillary Clinton and cofounder of Accountable Tech , a nonprofit advocacy group .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement mechanisms to safeguard the election , the platform will be weaponized to undermine it . ''
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company ?
We 'd love to hear from you .
Reach out at craig.silverman @ buzzfeed.com , ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , or via one of our tip line channels .
On Thursday , Zuckerberg told employees that the increased use of mail-in ballots due to the pandemic will likely lead to a situation where election results will not be available `` for days '' or `` for weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commentators may attempt to try to call an election early , in which case the company may label a post explaining that results are not yet final .
Zuckerberg did not have a clear answer for what the company would do should Trump declared the election results invalid .
`` This is where we 're in unprecedented territory with the president saying some of the things that he 's saying that I find quite troubling , '' he said .
`` We 're thinking through what policy may be appropriate here .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing to work through . ''
While there are signs Facebook will stand up to Trump in cases where he violates its rules — as on Wednesday when it removed a video post from the president in which he claimed that children are “ almost immune ” to COVID-19 — there are others who suggest the company is caving to critical voices on the right .
In another recent Workplace post , a senior engineer collected internal evidence that showed Facebook was giving preferential treatment to prominent conservative accounts to help them remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responded by removing his post and restricting internal access to the information he cited .
On Wednesday the engineer was fired , according to internal posts seen by BuzzFeed News .
With heightened internal tensions and morale at a low point , concerns about how the company handles fact-checked content have exploded in an internal Workplace group dedicated to misinformation policy .
Last Friday , at another all-hands meeting , employees asked Zuckerberg how right-wing publication Breitbart News could remain a Facebook News partner after sharing a video that promoted unproven treatments and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus .
The video racked up 14 million views in six hours before it was removed from Breitbart ’ s page , though other accounts continued to share it .
Zuckerberg danced around the question but did note that Breitbart could be removed from the company 's news tab if it were to receive two strikes for publishing misinformation within 90 days of each other .
( Facebook News partners , which include dozens of publications such as BuzzFeed News and the Washington Post , receive compensation and placement in a special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) “ This was certainly one strike against them for misinformation , but they do n't have others in the last 90 days , ” Zuckerberg said .
“ So by the policies that we have , which by the way I think are generally pretty reasonable on this , it does n't make sense to remove them.
” But some of Facebook ’ s own employees gathered evidence they say shows Breitbart — along with other right-wing outlets and figures including Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk , Trump supporters Diamond and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prager University — has received special treatment that helped it avoid running afoul of company policy .
They see it as part of a pattern of preferential treatment for right-wing publishers and pages , many of which have alleged that the social network is biased against conservatives .
“ We defer to third-party fact-checkers on the rating that a piece of content receives , '' Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement .
`` When a fact checker applies a rating , we apply a label and demotion .
But we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems for repeat offenders .
We apply additional system wide penalties for multiple false ratings , including demonetization and the inability to advertise , unless we determine that one or more of those ratings does not warrant additional consequences . ''
On July 22 , a Facebook employee posted a message to the company ’ s internal misinformation policy group noting that some misinformation strikes against Breitbart had been cleared by someone at Facebook seemingly acting on the publication 's behalf .
“ A Breitbart escalation marked ‘ urgent : end of day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with all misinformation strikes against Breitbart ’ s page and against their domain cleared without explanation , ” the employee wrote .
The same employee said a partly false rating applied to an Instagram post from Charlie Kirk was flagged for “ priority ” escalation by Joel Kaplan , the company ’ s vice president of global public policy .
Kaplan once served in George W. Bush ’ s administration and drew criticism for publicly supporting Brett Kavanaugh ’ s controversial nomination to the Supreme Court .
Aaron Sharockman , the executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contact at Facebook did call to discuss Kirk ’ s post .
“ We had a call with them where they wanted to know how this post was aligned with the program , ” Sharockman said .
`` Was this just a minor inaccuracy or was it something that we thought was something that had potential harmful effects ? ''
PolitiFact did not change its rating on the post .
“ We stuck to our guns there , ” Sharockman said .
Past Facebook employees , including Yaël Eisenstat , Facebook 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have expressed concerns with Kaplan ’ s influence over content enforcement decisions .
She previously told BuzzFeed News a member of Kaplan 's Washington policy team attempted to influence ad enforcement decisions for an ad placed by a conservative organization .
Facebook did not respond to questions about why Kaplan would personally intervene in matters like this .
These and other interventions appear to be in violation of Facebook ’ s official policy , which requires publishers wishing to dispute a fact check rating to contact the Facebook fact-checking partner responsible .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intervening in fact-checks on behalf of *exclusively* right-wing publishers , to avoid them getting repeat-offender status , ” wrote another employee in the company ’ s internal “ misinformation policy ” discussion group .
Individuals that spoke out about the apparent special treatment of right-wing pages have also faced consequences .
In one case , a senior Facebook engineer collected multiple instances of conservative figures receiving unique help from Facebook employees , including those on the policy team , to remove fact-checks on their content .
His July post was removed because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communication policy.
” After the engineer ’ s post was removed , the related internal “ tasks ” he ’ d cited as examples of the alleged special treatment were made private and inaccessible to employees , according to a Workplace post from another employee .
“ Personally this makes me so angry and ashamed of this company , ” wrote the employee in support of their colleague .
The engineer joined the company in 2016 and most recently worked on Instagram .
He left the company on Wednesday .
One employee on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that they had received permission from the engineer to say that the dismissal “ was not voluntary.
” In an internal post before his dismissal , the engineer said he was “ told to expect to be contacted by legal and HR if my post is found to be violating other policies in addition to Respectful Comms.
” Facebook denied the employee had been terminated for the post but said it was because `` they broke the company 's rules . ''
“ We have an open culture and encourage employees to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Bourgeois said .
News of his firing caused some Facebook employees to say that they now fear speaking critically about the company in internal discussions .
One person said they were deleting old posts and comments , while another said this was “ hardly the first time the respectful workplace guidelines have been used to snipe a prominent critic of company policies/ethics.
” “ [ He ] was a conscience of this company , and a tireless voice for us doing the right thing , ” said another employee .
The terminated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be named for fear of repercussions .
The internal evidence gathered by the engineer aligns with the experience of a journalist who works for one of Facebook ’ s US fact-checking partners .
They told BuzzFeed News that conservative pages often complain directly to the company .
“ Of the publishers that don ’ t follow the procedure , it seems to be mostly ones on the right .
Instead of appealing to the fact-checker they immediately call their rep at Facebook , ” said the journalist , who declined to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak publicly .
“ They jump straight up and say ‘ censorship , First Amendment , freedom.
’ ” “ I think Facebook is a bit afraid of them because of the Trump administration , ” they added .
Facebook typically assigns dedicated partner managers to pages with large followings or big ad budgets .
They help their clients maximize their use of the platform .
But in the cases identified in the engineer 's post , partner reps appear to have sought preferential treatment for right-wing publishers .
This resulted in phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook , and instances where misinformation strikes appear to have been removed from content without a fact-checker ’ s knowledge or involvement .
A Facebook employee ’ s July 22 post restating the engineer ’ s findings identified multiple cases in which a fact-check complaint from a right-wing page was escalated and in some cases resolved in the account ’ s favor the same day .
According to the post , Joel Kaplan flagged a fact check of a Charlie Kirk Instagram post for resolution “ ASAP/before 12 p.m.
ET ” .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was part of a “ two weeks long effort ” to prevent the site from being given Repeat Offender status , a designation that would have limited its reach and advertising privileges .
Citing “ partner sensitivity , '' the rep noted that PragerU runs a lot of ads , and argued that the content in question qualified as opinion and was therefore exempt from being fact-checked .
Facebook did not answer questions about why a partner manager would cite ad volume as a reason for not acting against a group of pages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Facebook have never asked them to change a rating .
But Facebook reps do reach out to discuss whether a post is opinion or otherwise outside of the scope of the program .
“ We have had discussions where our partners have asked us , ‘ Why did you fact check this ?
Why did you come to this conclusion ?
How do you think it fits within the scope of Facebook 's rules or regulations within fact-checking ?
’ ” he said .
`` We sometimes reach out to fact-checkers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program , '' Bourgeois said .
Mark Provost manages multiple large progressive Facebook pages , including The Other 98 % , one of the biggest on the platform .
He said his Facebook partner manager is far less responsive than what the Facebook employee documented for Provost ’ s counterparts on the right .
And he ’ s not aware of any case where Facebook contacted a fact-checker on his behalf .
“ We do n't get a message back for 10 days , ” Provost said of Facebook .
“ I imagine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better deal.
” His Other 98 % page is currently at risk of deletion because it has three strikes .
Provost said one strike is for a hate speech violation three months ago , though as of now no one at Facebook has told him what the offending post was .
His partner representative said they would look into it , according to Provost .
That was last week and he says he still hasn ’ t received an update .
“ I 'm getting so frustrated with this , ” Provost said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if Facebook were as responsive as the fact-checking companies that they 've assigned.
” Provost said Facebook ’ s fact-checking partners are easy to deal with when he contacts them to dispute a rating .
In some cases , he provided additional proof of his claim to get a rating changed ; in other cases , he corrected the offending post and the false rating was removed .
The fact-checker who spoke to BuzzFeed News said most page owners follow the policy and contact them to dispute a rating .
But in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook partner manager assigned to work with fact-checkers .
“ They will ask us , ‘ Could you take a look at this again ?
Are you sure ?
’ ” the checker said .
In other cases , Facebook itself will quietly remove a fact-check applied by one of its partners .
That appears to be what happened with a March 25 post from Diamond and Silk .
The duo wrote on Facebook , “ How the hell is allocating 25 million dollars in order to give a raise to house members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Americans , going to help stimulate America 's economy ?
Tell me how ?
# PutAmericansBackToWorkNow.
” Lead Stories , a Facebook fact-checking partner , rated the post false .
Diamond and Silk initially followed the proper procedure and appealed directly to Lead Stories .
“ They were detailed in their appeal and we replied promptly , ” Alan Duke , the editor-in-chief of Lead Stories , told BuzzFeed News .
“ The result was that we decided that a false rating initially given their content should be revised downward to ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ false rating apparently didn ’ t satisfy Diamond and Silk , who reportedly lost their online Fox News show after spreading coronavirus misinformation .
As detailed in the July 22 internal Facebook post , Diamond and Silk appealed to their partner manager , who opened an internal ticket for the issue .
The Facebook rep argued the post was opinion and warned that the duo “ is extremely sensitive and has not hesitated going public about their concerns around alleged conservative bias on Facebook.
” While the partly false fact-check is still visible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ removed the strike against their account internally .
The Facebook employee said “ someone described on the task as ‘ Policy/Leadership ’ made the call to not only completely remove this strike , but also the one from January.
” PolitiFact ’ s Sharockman said he does n't know what goes on inside Facebook when it comes to applying or removing strikes for misinformation .
All the Facebook fact-checking partners can do is try to be honest , even if the other parties involved aren ’ t .
`` We 're trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and open and transparent .
And no one else is .
Everyone else is using the system to their personal benefit . ''
●

On Facebook’s internal message boards, discussion about the Trump election question remained civil prior to Thursday’s all-hands meeting. Employees debated the merits of censoring a sitting president’s potentially false statements about election results with one person noting that “it would be a really troubling policy to apply globally.”
"America can't afford for Facebook to take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the integrity of our democracy,” said Jesse Lehrich, a former foreign policy spokesperson to Hillary Clinton and cofounder of Accountable Tech, a nonprofit advocacy group. “Unless they proactively outline clear policies and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard the election, the platform will be weaponized to undermine it."
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out at craig.silverman@buzzfeed.com, ryan.mac@buzzfeed.com, or via one of our tip line channels.
On Thursday, Zuckerberg told employees that the increased use of mail-in ballots due to the pandemic will likely lead to a situation where election results will not be available "for days" or "for weeks." He noted political figures and commentators may attempt to try to call an election early, in which case the company may label a post explaining that results are not yet final.
Zuckerberg did not have a clear answer for what the company would do should Trump declared the election results invalid.
"This is where we're in unprecedented territory with the president saying some of the things that he's saying that I find quite troubling," he said. "We're thinking through what policy may be appropriate here. This is obviously going to be a sensitive thing to work through."
While there are signs Facebook will stand up to Trump in cases where he violates its rules — as on Wednesday when it removed a video post from the president in which he claimed that children are “almost immune” to COVID-19 — there are others who suggest the company is caving to critical voices on the right. In another recent Workplace post, a senior engineer collected internal evidence that showed Facebook was giving preferential treatment to prominent conservative accounts to help them remove fact-checks from their content.
The company responded by removing his post and restricting internal access to the information he cited. On Wednesday the engineer was fired, according to internal posts seen by BuzzFeed News.
“Intervening in Fact-Checks”
With heightened internal tensions and morale at a low point, concerns about how the company handles fact-checked content have exploded in an internal Workplace group dedicated to misinformation policy.
Last Friday, at another all-hands meeting, employees asked Zuckerberg how right-wing publication Breitbart News could remain a Facebook News partner after sharing a video that promoted unproven treatments and said masks were unnecessary to combat the novel coronavirus. The video racked up 14 million views in six hours before it was removed from Breitbart’s page, though other accounts continued to share it.
Zuckerberg danced around the question but did note that Breitbart could be removed from the company's news tab if it were to receive two strikes for publishing misinformation within 90 days of each other. (Facebook News partners, which include dozens of publications such as BuzzFeed News and the Washington Post, receive compensation and placement in a special news tab on the social network.)
“This was certainly one strike against them for misinformation, but they don't have others in the last 90 days,” Zuckerberg said. “So by the policies that we have, which by the way I think are generally pretty reasonable on this, it doesn't make sense to remove them.”
But some of Facebook’s own employees gathered evidence they say shows Breitbart — along with other right-wing outlets and figures including Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Trump supporters Diamond and Silk, and conservative video production nonprofit Prager University — has received special treatment that helped it avoid running afoul of company policy. They see it as part of a pattern of preferential treatment for right-wing publishers and pages, many of which have alleged that the social network is biased against conservatives.
“We defer to third-party fact-checkers on the rating that a piece of content receives," Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement. "When a fact checker applies a rating, we apply a label and demotion. But we are responsible for how we manage our internal systems for repeat offenders. We apply additional system wide penalties for multiple false ratings, including demonetization and the inability to advertise, unless we determine that one or more of those ratings does not warrant additional consequences."
On July 22, a Facebook employee posted a message to the company’s internal misinformation policy group noting that some misinformation strikes against Breitbart had been cleared by someone at Facebook seemingly acting on the publication's behalf.
“A Breitbart escalation marked ‘urgent: end of day’ was resolved on the same day, with all misinformation strikes against Breitbart’s page and against their domain cleared without explanation,” the employee wrote.
The same employee said a partly false rating applied to an Instagram post from Charlie Kirk was flagged for “priority” escalation by Joel Kaplan, the company’s vice president of global public policy. Kaplan once served in George W. Bush’s administration and drew criticism for publicly supporting Brett Kavanaugh’s controversial nomination to the Supreme Court.
Aaron Sharockman, the executive director of PolitiFact, told BuzzFeed News a contact at Facebook did call to discuss Kirk’s post.
“We had a call with them where they wanted to know how this post was aligned with the program,” Sharockman said. "Was this just a minor inaccuracy or was it something that we thought was something that had potential harmful effects?"
PolitiFact did not change its rating on the post. “We stuck to our guns there,” Sharockman said.
Past Facebook employees, including Yaël Eisenstat, Facebook's former global election ads integrity lead, have expressed concerns with Kaplan’s influence over content enforcement decisions. She previously told BuzzFeed News a member of Kaplan's Washington policy team attempted to influence ad enforcement decisions for an ad placed by a conservative organization.
Facebook did not respond to questions about why Kaplan would personally intervene in matters like this.


buzzfeed--2020-08-30--What They Saw: Ex-Prisoners Detail The Horrors Of China's Detention Camps

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims have been held inside Xinjiang ’ s camps , but very little is known about life inside .
BuzzFeed News spoke to dozens of ex-detainees .
This is Part 2 of a BuzzFeed News investigation .
For Part 1 , click here .
This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund , the Pulitzer Center , and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism .
ALMATY — Maybe the police officers call you first .
Or maybe they show up at your workplace and ask your boss if they can talk to you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for you at night , after you ’ ve gone to bed .
In Nursaule ’ s case , they turned up at her home just as she was fixing her husband a lunch of fresh noodles and lamb .
For the Uighurs and Kazakhs in China ’ s far west who have found themselves detained in a sprawling system of internment camps , what happens next is more or less the same .
Handcuffed , often with a hood over their heads , they are brought by the hundreds to the tall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for offenses that range from wearing a beard to having downloaded a banned app , upward of a million people have disappeared into the secretive facilities , according to independent estimates .
The government has previously said the camps are meant to provide educational or vocational training to Muslim minorities .
Satellite images , such as those revealed in a BuzzFeed News investigation on Thursday , offer bird ’ s eye hints : guard towers , thick walls , and barbed wire .
Yet little is still known about day-to-day life inside .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the camps in Xinjiang about their experiences .
Most spoke through an interpreter .
They are , in many ways , the lucky ones — they escaped the country to tell their tale .
All of them said that when they were released , they were made to sign a written agreement not to disclose what happens inside .
( None kept copies — most said they were afraid they would be searched at the border when they tried to leave China . )
Many declined to use their names because , despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their families .
But they said they wanted to make the world aware of how they were treated .
The stories about what detention is like in Xinjiang are remarkably consistent — from the point of arrest , where people are swept away in police cars , to the days , weeks , and months of abuse , deprivation , and routine humiliation inside the camps , to the moment of release for the very few who get out .
They also offer insight into the structure of life inside , from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — to the hierarchy of prisoners , who said they were divided into color-coded uniforms based on their assumed threat to the state .
BuzzFeed News could not corroborate all details of their accounts because it is not possible to independently visit camps and prisons in Xinjiang .
Their accounts also give clues into how China ’ s mass internment policy targeting its Muslim minorities in Xinjiang has evolved , partly in response to international pressure .
Those who were detained earlier , particularly in 2017 and early 2018 , were more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buildings like schoolhouses and retirement homes .
Those who were detained later , from late 2018 , were more likely to have seen factories being built , or even been forced to labor in them , for no pay but less oppressive detention .
In response to a list of questions for this article , the Chinese Consulate in New York said that `` the basic principle of respecting and protecting human rights in accordance with China 's Constitution and law is strictly observed in these centers to guarantee that the personal dignity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The centers are run as boarding facilities and trainees can go home and ask for leave to tend to personal business .
Trainees ' right to use their own spoken and written languages is fully protected ... the customs and habits of different ethnic groups are fully respected and protected , '' the consulate added , saying that `` trainees '' are given halal food for free and that they can decide whether to `` attend legitimate religious activities '' when they go home .
China 's Foreign Ministry did not respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s husband was watching TV the day she was detained in late 2017 near Tacheng city , she said .
She was in the kitchen when there was a sharp knock at the front door .
She opened it to find a woman wearing ordinary clothing flanked by two uniformed male police officers , she said .
The woman told her she was to be taken for a medical checkup .
At first , Nursaule , a sixtysomething Kazakh woman whose presence is both no-nonsense and grandmotherly , was glad .
Her legs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and she had been meaning to go to the doctor to have them looked at .
Nursaule ’ s stomach began to rumble .
The woman seemed kind , so Nursaule asked if she could return to pick her up after she ’ d eaten lunch .
The woman agreed .
But then she said something strange .
“ She told me to take off my earrings and necklace before going with them , that I shouldn ’ t take my jewelry where I was going , ” Nursaule said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to feel afraid.
” After the police left , Nursaule called her grown-up daughter to tell her what happened , hoping she ’ d have some insight .
Her daughter told her not to worry — but something in her tone told Nursaule there was something wrong .
She began to cry .
She couldn ’ t eat a bite of her noodles .
Many hours later , after the police had interrogated her for hours , she realized that she was starving .
But the next meal she would eat would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Like Nursaule , those detained all reported being given a full medical checkup before being taken to the camps .
At the clinic , samples of their blood and urine were collected , they said .
They also said they sat for interviews with police officers , answering questions on their foreign travel , personal beliefs , and religious practices .
“ They asked me , ‘ Are you a practicing Muslim ?
’ ‘ Do you pray ?
’ ” said Kadyrbek Tampek , a livestock farmer from the Tacheng region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Xinjiang .
“ I told them that I have faith , but I don ’ t pray.
” Afterward , the police officers took his phone .
Tampek , a soft-spoken 51-year-old man who belongs to Xinjiang ’ s ethnic Kazakh minority , was first sent to a camp in December 2017 and said he was later forced to work as a security guard .
After a series of blood tests , Nursaule was taken to a separate room at the clinic , where she was asked to sign some documents she couldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her fingers on a pad of ink to make fingerprints .
Police interrogated her about her past , and afterward , she waited for hours .
Finally , past midnight , a Chinese police officer told her she would be taken to “ get some education.
” Nursaule tried to appeal to the Kazakh officer translating for him — she does not speak Chinese — but he assured her she would only be gone 10 days .
After the medical exam and interview , detainees were taken to camps .
Those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 described a chaotic atmosphere when they arrived — often in tandem with dozens or even hundreds of other people , who were lined up for security screenings inside camps protected by huge iron gates .
Many said they could not recognize where they were because they had arrived in darkness , or because police placed hoods over their heads .
But others said they recognized the buildings , often former schools or retirement homes repurposed into detention centers .
When Nursaule arrived , the first thing she saw were the heavy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by armed police .
Once inside , they were told to discard their belongings as well as shoelaces and belts — as is done in prisons to prevent suicide .
After a security screening , detainees said they were brought to a separate room to put on camp uniforms , often walking through a passageway covered with netting and flanked by armed guards and their dogs .
“ I recognized those dogs , ” said one former detainee who declined to share his name .
He used to watch TV documentaries about World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They looked like the ones the Germans had.
” “ We lined up and took off our clothes to put on blue uniforms .
There were men and women together in the same room , ” said 48-year-old Parida , a Kazakh pharmacist who was detained in February 2018 .
“ They treated us like livestock .
I wanted to cry .
I was ashamed , you know , to take off my clothes in front of others.
” More than a dozen former detainees confirmed to BuzzFeed News that prisoners were divided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colors .
Those in blue , like Parida and the majority of the people interviewed for this article , were considered the least threatening .
Often , they were accused of minor transgressions , like downloading banned apps to their phones or having traveled abroad .
Imams , religious people , and others considered subversive to the state were placed in the strictest group — and were usually shackled even inside the camp .
There was also a mid-level group .
The blue-clad detainees had no interaction with people in the more “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housed in different sections or floors of buildings , or stayed in separate buildings altogether .
But they could sometimes see them through the window , being marched outside the building , often with their hands cuffed .
In Chinese , the groups were referred to as “ ordinary regulation , ” “ strong regulation , ” and “ strict regulation ” detainees .
For several women detainees , a deeply traumatic humiliation was having their long hair cut to chin length .
Women were also barred from wearing traditional head coverings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I wanted to keep my hair , ” said Nursaule .
“ Keeping long hair , for a Kazakh woman , is very important .
I had grown it since I was a little girl , I had never cut it in my life .
Hair is the beauty of a woman.
” “ I couldn ’ t believe it , ” she said .
“ They wanted to hack it off.
” After the haircut , putting her hand to the ends of her hair , she cried .
From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , privacy was gone .
Aside from the overwhelming presence of guards , each room was fitted with two video cameras , all the former detainees interviewed by BuzzFeed News confirmed .
Cameras could also be seen in bathrooms , and throughout the building .
In some camps , according to more than a dozen former detainees , dorms were outfitted with internal and external doors , one of which required an iris or thumbprint scan for guards to enter .
The internal doors sometimes had small windows through which bowls of food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detainees were subject to interrogations , where they ’ d have to repeat again and again the stories of their supposed transgressions — religious practices , foreign travel , and online activities .
These sessions were carefully documented by interrogators , they said .
And they often resulted in detainees writing “ self-criticism.
” Those who could not read and write were given a document to sign .
None of the former detainees interviewed by BuzzFeed News said they contemplated escaping — this was not a possibility .
Camp officials would observe the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cameras , and communicate with detainees over intercom .
Camps were made up of multiple buildings , including dorms , canteens , shower facilities , administrative buildings , and , in some cases , a building where visitors were hosted .
But most detainees said they saw little outside their own dorm room buildings .
Detainees who arrived early in the government ’ s campaign — particularly in 2017 — reported desperately crowded facilities , where people sometimes slept two to a twin bed , and said new arrivals would come all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bunk beds , and each detainee was given a small plastic stool .
Several former detainees said that they were forced to study Chinese textbooks while sitting rigidly on the stools .
If they moved their hands from their knees or slouched , they ’ d be yelled at through the intercom .
Detainees said there was a shared bathroom .
Showers were infrequent , and always cold .
Some former detainees said there were small clinics within the camps .
Nursaule remembered being taken by bus to two local hospitals in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
People were coming and going all the time from the camp where she stayed , she said .
Surveillance was not limited to cameras and guards .
At night , the detainees themselves were forced to stand watch in shifts over other inmates in their own rooms .
If anyone in the room acted up — getting into arguments with each other , for example , or speaking Uighur or Kazakh instead of Chinese — those on watch could be punished as well .
Usually they were beaten , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , put into solitary confinement .
Several former detainees said that older men and women could not handle standing for many hours and struggled to keep watch .
The atmosphere was so crowded and tense that arguments sometimes broke out among detainees — but these were punished severely .
“ They took me down there and beat me , ” said one former detainee .
“ I couldn ’ t tell you where the room was because they put a hood over my head.
” Nursaule was never beaten , but one day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Uighur woman who was living in the same dorm room .
Guards put a sack over her head and took her to the solitary room .
There , it was dark , with only a metal chair and a bucket .
Her ankles were shackled together .
The room was small , about 10 feet by 10 feet , she said , with a cement floor .
There was no window .
The lights were kept off , so guards used a flashlight to find her , she said .
After three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken back up to the cell .
The government has said that “ students ” in the camps receive vocational training , learn the Chinese language , and become “ deradicalized.
” Former detainees say this means they were brainwashed with Communist Party propaganda and forced to labor for free in factories .
State media reports have emphasized the classroom education that takes place in the camps , claiming that detainees are actually benefiting from their time there .
But several former detainees told BuzzFeed News that there were too many people to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were forced to study textbooks while sitting on their plastic stools in their dorm rooms .
Those who did sit through lessons in classrooms described them all similarly .
The teacher , at the front of the room , was separated from the detainees by a transparent wall or a set of bars , and he or she taught them Mandarin or about Communist Party dogma .
Guards flanked the classroom , and some former detainees said they carried batons and even hit “ pupils ” when they made mistakes about Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke to BuzzFeed News described being moved from camp to camp , and noted that people always seemed to be coming and going from the buildings where they were being held .
Officials did not appear to give reasons for these moves , but several former detainees chalked it up to overcrowding .
Among them was Dina Nurdybai , a 27-year-old Kazakh woman who ran a successful clothing manufacturing business .
After being first detained on October 14 , 2017 , Nurdybai was moved between five different camps — ranging from a compound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a high-security prison .
In the first camp , “ it seemed like 50 new people were coming in every night .
You could hear the shackles on their legs , ” she said .
Nursaule never expected to be released .
“ It was dinner time and we were lining up at the door , ” she said .
“ They called my name and another Kazakh woman ’ s name.
” It was December 23 , 2018 .
She was terrified — she had heard that some detainees were being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if she might be among them .
China does not consider internment camps like the ones she was sent to be part of the criminal justice system — no one who is sent to a camp is formally arrested or charged with a crime .
Nursaule had heard that prisons — which disproportionately house Uighurs and Kazakhs — could be even worse than internment camps .
She whispered to the other woman , “ Are we getting prison terms ?
” The two were taken in handcuffs to a larger room and told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an officer undid the handcuffs .
He asked if Nursaule wanted to go to Kazakhstan .
She said yes .
He then gave her a set of papers to sign , promising never to tell anyone what she had experienced .
She signed it , and they allowed her to leave — to live under house arrest until she left for Kazakhstan for good .
The day after , her daughter arrived with her clothes .
Nearly all of the former detainees interviewed by BuzzFeed News told a similar story about being asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d never discuss what happened to them .
Those who didn ’ t speak Chinese said they couldn ’ t even read what they were asked to sign .
Some of them were told the reasons they had been detained , and others said they never got an answer .
“ In the end they told me I was detained because I had used ‘ illegal software , ’ ” Nurdybai said — WhatsApp .
Nursaule ’ s daughter , who is in her late twenties , is a nurse who usually works @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Xinjiang , starting at 6 p.m. Nursaule worries all the time about her — about how hard she works , and whether she might be detained someday too .
After Nursaule was eventually released from detention , it was her daughter who cared for her , because her husband had been detained too .
Like for other Muslim minorities , government authorities have taken her daughter ’ s passport , Nursaule said , so she can not come to Kazakhstan .
Snow fell softly outside the window as Nursaule spoke about what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s apartment in Almaty , Kazakhstan ’ s largest city , where a cheery plastic tablecloth printed with cartoon plates of pasta covered the coffee table .
Nursaule spoke slowly and carefully in her native Kazakh , with the occasional bitter note creeping into her voice , long after the milky tea on the table had grown cold .
But when she asked that her full name not be used in this article , she began to weep — big , heaving sobs pent up from the pain she carried with her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hardly bear to remember or relate , even to her husband .
She was thinking about her daughter , she said , and about what could happen if Chinese officials discovered she spoke about her time in the camps .
It is the reason that she , like so many former detainees and prisoners , has never spoken publicly about what was done to her .
“ I am still afraid of talking about this , ” she said .
“ I can ’ t stand it anymore .
I can ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffer to tell you this , ” she said .
“ But I feel that I have to tell it.
” ●

Their accounts also give clues into how China’s mass internment policy targeting its Muslim minorities in Xinjiang has evolved, partly in response to international pressure. Those who were detained earlier, particularly in 2017 and early 2018, were more likely to find themselves forced into repurposed government buildings like schoolhouses and retirement homes. Those who were detained later, from late 2018, were more likely to have seen factories being built, or even been forced to labor in them, for no pay but less oppressive detention.
In response to a list of questions for this article, the Chinese Consulate in New York said that "the basic principle of respecting and protecting human rights in accordance with China's Constitution and law is strictly observed in these centers to guarantee that the personal dignity of trainees is inviolable."
"The centers are run as boarding facilities and trainees can go home and ask for leave to tend to personal business. Trainees' right to use their own spoken and written languages is fully protected ... the customs and habits of different ethnic groups are fully respected and protected," the consulate added, saying that "trainees" are given halal food for free and that they can decide whether to "attend legitimate religious activities" when they go home.
China's Foreign Ministry did not respond to several requests for comment.
Nursaule’s husband was watching TV the day she was detained in late 2017 near Tacheng city, she said. She was in the kitchen when there was a sharp knock at the front door. She opened it to find a woman wearing ordinary clothing flanked by two uniformed male police officers, she said. The woman told her she was to be taken for a medical checkup.
At first, Nursaule, a sixtysomething Kazakh woman whose presence is both no-nonsense and grandmotherly, was glad. Her legs had been swollen for a few days, and she had been meaning to go to the doctor to have them looked at.
Nursaule’s stomach began to rumble. The woman seemed kind, so Nursaule asked if she could return to pick her up after she’d eaten lunch. The woman agreed. But then she said something strange.
“She told me to take off my earrings and necklace before going with them, that I shouldn’t take my jewelry where I was going,” Nursaule said. “It was only then that I started to feel afraid.”
After the police left, Nursaule called her grown-up daughter to tell her what happened, hoping she’d have some insight. Her daughter told her not to worry — but something in her tone told Nursaule there was something wrong. She began to cry. She couldn’t eat a bite of her noodles. Many hours later, after the police had interrogated her for hours, she realized that she was starving. But the next meal she would eat would be within the walls of an internment camp.
Like Nursaule, those detained all reported being given a full medical checkup before being taken to the camps. At the clinic, samples of their blood and urine were collected, they said. They also said they sat for interviews with police officers, answering questions on their foreign travel, personal beliefs, and religious practices.
“They asked me, ‘Are you a practicing Muslim?’ ‘Do you pray?’” said Kadyrbek Tampek, a livestock farmer from the Tacheng region, which lies in the north of Xinjiang. “I told them that I have faith, but I don’t pray.” Afterward, the police officers took his phone. Tampek, a soft-spoken 51-year-old man who belongs to Xinjiang’s ethnic Kazakh minority, was first sent to a camp in December 2017 and said he was later forced to work as a security guard.
After a series of blood tests, Nursaule was taken to a separate room at the clinic, where she was asked to sign some documents she couldn’t understand and press all 10 of her fingers on a pad of ink to make fingerprints. Police interrogated her about her past, and afterward, she waited for hours. Finally, past midnight, a Chinese police officer told her she would be taken to “get some education.” Nursaule tried to appeal to the Kazakh officer translating for him — she does not speak Chinese — but he assured her she would only be gone 10 days.
After the medical exam and interview, detainees were taken to camps. Those who had been detained in 2017 and early in 2018 described a chaotic atmosphere when they arrived — often in tandem with dozens or even hundreds of other people, who were lined up for security screenings inside camps protected by huge iron gates. Many said they could not recognize where they were because they had arrived in darkness, or because police placed hoods over their heads. But others said they recognized the buildings, often former schools or retirement homes repurposed into detention centers. When Nursaule arrived, the first thing she saw were the heavy iron doors of the compound, flanked by armed police.


buzzfeed--2020-08-30--Blanked-Out Spots On China's Maps Helped Us Uncover Xinjiang's Camps

This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund , the Pulitzer Center , and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism .
In the summer of 2018 , as it became even harder for journalists to work effectively in Xinjiang , a far-western region of China , we started to look at how we could use satellite imagery to investigate the camps where Uighurs and other Muslim minorities were being detained .
At the time we began , it was believed that there were around 1,200 camps in existence , while only several dozen had been found .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest .
Our breakthrough came when we noticed that there was some sort of issue with satellite imagery tiles loading in the vicinity of one of the known camps while using the Chinese mapping platform Baidu Maps .
The satellite imagery was old , but otherwise fine when zoomed out — but at a certain point , plain light gray tiles would appear over the camp location .
They disappeared as you zoomed in further , while the satellite imagery was replaced by the standard gray reference tiles , which showed features such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that time , Baidu only had satellite imagery at medium resolution in most parts of Xinjiang , which would be replaced by their general reference map tiles when you zoomed in closer .
That wasn ’ t what was happening here — these light gray tiles at the camp location were a different color than the reference map tiles and lacked any drawn information , such as roads .
We also knew that this wasn ’ t a failure to load tiles , or information that was missing from the map .
Usually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ display a tile , it serves a standard blank tile , which is watermarked .
These blank tiles are also a darker color than the tiles we had noticed over the camps .
Once we found that we could replicate the blank tile phenomenon reliably , we started to look at other camps whose locations were already known to the public to see if we could observe the same thing happening there .
Spoiler : We could .
Of the six camps that we used in our feasibility study , five had blank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 in Baidu , appearing only at this zoom level and disappearing as you zoomed in further .
One of the six camps didn ’ t have the blank tiles — a person who had visited the site in 2019 said it had closed , which could well have explained it .
However , we later found that the blank tiles weren ’ t used in city centers , only toward the edge of cities and in more rural areas .
( Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ internment camps in this way , we examined Baidu 's satellite tiles for the whole of Xinjiang , including the blank masking tiles , which formed a separate layer on the map .
We analyzed the masked locations by comparing them to up-to-date imagery from Google Earth , the European Space Agency ’ s Sentinel Hub , and Planet Labs .
In total there were 5 million masked tiles across Xinjiang .
They seemed to cover any area of even the slightest strategic importance — military bases and training grounds , prisons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some commercial and industrial facilities .
There were far too many locations for us to sort through , so we narrowed it down by focusing on the areas around cities and towns and major roads .
Prisons and internment camps need to be near infrastructure — you need to get large amounts of building materials and heavy machinery there to build them , for starters .
Chinese authorities would have also needed good roads and railways to bring newly detained people there by the thousand , as they did in the early months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locations near major infrastructure was therefore a good way to focus our initial search .
This left us with around 50,000 locations to look at .
We began to sort through the mask tile locations systematically using a custom web tool that we built to support our investigation and help manage the data .
We analyzed the whole of Kashgar prefecture , the Uighur heartland , which is in the south of Xinjiang , as well as parts of the neighboring prefecture , Kizilsu , in this way .
After looking at 10,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of facilities bearing the hallmarks of detention centers , prisons , and camps , we had a good idea of the range of designs of these facilities and also the sorts of locations in which they were likely to be found .
We quickly began to notice how large many of these places are — and how heavily securitized they appear to be , compared to the earlier known camps .
In site layout , architecture , and security features , they bear greater resemblance to other prisons across China than to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier camps in Xinjiang .
The newer compounds are also built to last , in a way that the earlier conversions weren ’ t .
The perimeter walls are made of thick concrete , for example , which takes much longer to build and perhaps later demolish , than the barbed wire fencing that characterizes the early camps .
In almost every county , we found buildings bearing the hallmarks of detention centers , plus new facilities with the characteristics of large , high-security camps and/or prisons .
Typically , there would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the town , while on the outskirts there would be a new camp and prison , often in recently developed industrial areas .
Where we hadn ’ t yet found these facilities in a given county , this pattern pushed us to keep on looking , especially in areas where there was no recent satellite imagery .
Where there was no public high-resolution imagery , we used medium-resolution imagery from Planet Labs and Sentinel to locate likely sites .
Planet was then kind enough to give us access to high-resolution imagery for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to capture new imagery of some areas that hadn ’ t been photographed in high resolution since 2006 .
In one county , this allowed us to see that the detention center that had previously been identified by other researchers had been demolished and to find the new prison just out of town .

Read Part 1 of this investigation here. Read Part 2 here. For Part 3, click here. For Part 4, click here. For Part 5, click here.
This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund, the Pulitzer Center, and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism.
In the summer of 2018, as it became even harder for journalists to work effectively in Xinjiang, a far-western region of China, we started to look at how we could use satellite imagery to investigate the camps where Uighurs and other Muslim minorities were being detained. At the time we began, it was believed that there were around 1,200 camps in existence, while only several dozen had been found. We wanted to try to find the rest.
Our breakthrough came when we noticed that there was some sort of issue with satellite imagery tiles loading in the vicinity of one of the known camps while using the Chinese mapping platform Baidu Maps. The satellite imagery was old, but otherwise fine when zoomed out — but at a certain point, plain light gray tiles would appear over the camp location. They disappeared as you zoomed in further, while the satellite imagery was replaced by the standard gray reference tiles, which showed features such as building outlines and roads.
At that time, Baidu only had satellite imagery at medium resolution in most parts of Xinjiang, which would be replaced by their general reference map tiles when you zoomed in closer. That wasn’t what was happening here — these light gray tiles at the camp location were a different color than the reference map tiles and lacked any drawn information, such as roads. We also knew that this wasn’t a failure to load tiles, or information that was missing from the map. Usually when a map platform can’t display a tile, it serves a standard blank tile, which is watermarked. These blank tiles are also a darker color than the tiles we had noticed over the camps.
Once we found that we could replicate the blank tile phenomenon reliably, we started to look at other camps whose locations were already known to the public to see if we could observe the same thing happening there. Spoiler: We could. Of the six camps that we used in our feasibility study, five had blank tiles at their location at zoom level 18 in Baidu, appearing only at this zoom level and disappearing as you zoomed in further. One of the six camps didn’t have the blank tiles — a person who had visited the site in 2019 said it had closed, which could well have explained it. However, we later found that the blank tiles weren’t used in city centers, only toward the edge of cities and in more rural areas. (Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment.)
Having established that we could probably find internment camps in this way, we examined Baidu's satellite tiles for the whole of Xinjiang, including the blank masking tiles, which formed a separate layer on the map. We analyzed the masked locations by comparing them to up-to-date imagery from Google Earth, the European Space Agency’s Sentinel Hub, and Planet Labs.
In total there were 5 million masked tiles across Xinjiang. They seemed to cover any area of even the slightest strategic importance — military bases and training grounds, prisons, power plants, but also mines and some commercial and industrial facilities. There were far too many locations for us to sort through, so we narrowed it down by focusing on the areas around cities and towns and major roads.
Prisons and internment camps need to be near infrastructure — you need to get large amounts of building materials and heavy machinery there to build them, for starters. Chinese authorities would have also needed good roads and railways to bring newly detained people there by the thousand, as they did in the early months of the mass internment campaign. Analyzing locations near major infrastructure was therefore a good way to focus our initial search. This left us with around 50,000 locations to look at.
We began to sort through the mask tile locations systematically using a custom web tool that we built to support our investigation and help manage the data. We analyzed the whole of Kashgar prefecture, the Uighur heartland, which is in the south of Xinjiang, as well as parts of the neighboring prefecture, Kizilsu, in this way. After looking at 10,000 mask tile locations and identifying a number of facilities bearing the hallmarks of detention centers, prisons, and camps, we had a good idea of the range of designs of these facilities and also the sorts of locations in which they were likely to be found.
We quickly began to notice how large many of these places are — and how heavily securitized they appear to be, compared to the earlier known camps. In site layout, architecture, and security features, they bear greater resemblance to other prisons across China than to the converted schools and hospitals that formed the earlier camps in Xinjiang. The newer compounds are also built to last, in a way that the earlier conversions weren’t. The perimeter walls are made of thick concrete, for example, which takes much longer to build and perhaps later demolish, than the barbed wire fencing that characterizes the early camps.
In almost every county, we found buildings bearing the hallmarks of detention centers, plus new facilities with the characteristics of large, high-security camps and/or prisons. Typically, there would be an older detention center in the middle of the town, while on the outskirts there would be a new camp and prison, often in recently developed industrial areas. Where we hadn’t yet found these facilities in a given county, this pattern pushed us to keep on looking, especially in areas where there was no recent satellite imagery. Where there was no public high-resolution imagery, we used medium-resolution imagery from Planet Labs and Sentinel to locate likely sites. Planet was then kind enough to give us access to high-resolution imagery for these locations and to task a satellite to capture new imagery of some areas that hadn’t been photographed in high resolution since 2006. In one county, this allowed us to see that the detention center that had previously been identified by other researchers had been demolished and to find the new prison just out of town.


buzzfeed--2020-08-30--RNC Video Showing Rioters In “Biden’s America” Is Actually Spain

On the first night of the Republican National Convention , the party aired a segment featuring Catalina and Madeline Lauf warning of dire consequences if Democratic candidate Joe Biden is elected president .
“ This is a taste of Biden ’ s America , ” one sister says in a voiceover as images of protests play onscreen .
“ The rioting , the crime .
Freedom is at stake now and this is going to be the most important election of our lifetime.
” The problem is that one of the images in the segment doesn ’ t show the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As first reported by Catalonian public broadcaster CCMA and independently verified by BuzzFeed News , one of the four images of protests was filmed in October 2019 in Barcelona .
Protests broke out in the city after Spanish courts sentenced Catalan separatist activists to prison .
The image used during the RNC video showed fires burning in the streets .
One of those same streets can be seen as being in Barcelona by using Google Street View .
Other images of protests in the segment show footage of a march in Brooklyn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and drone footage of a tree on fire in an intersection in New York .
The final , and most striking , shot is the one from Barcelona .

On the first night of the Republican National Convention, the party aired a segment featuring Catalina and Madeline Lauf warning of dire consequences if Democratic candidate Joe Biden is elected president.
“This is a taste of Biden’s America,” one sister says in a voiceover as images of protests play onscreen. “The rioting, the crime. Freedom is at stake now and this is going to be the most important election of our lifetime.”
The problem is that one of the images in the segment doesn’t show the US at all — it shows Spain.
As first reported by Catalonian public broadcaster CCMA and independently verified by BuzzFeed News, one of the four images of protests was filmed in October 2019 in Barcelona. Protests broke out in the city after Spanish courts sentenced Catalan separatist activists to prison. The image used during the RNC video showed fires burning in the streets. One of those same streets can be seen as being in Barcelona by using Google Street View.
Other images of protests in the segment show footage of a march in Brooklyn, a car on fire in Chicago, and drone footage of a tree on fire in an intersection in New York. The final, and most striking, shot is the one from Barcelona.


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--Giving Birth In 2020 Is Not The Same — Here's What It Was Like For 19 Moms

`` I had my baby in July .
Due to the heat of the summer , my initial temperature reading @ @ @ @ @ a minute later , my temp was 98.7 .
However , my initial temperature caused @ @ @ @ @ 'person of interest ' and my husband and I were immediately covered in PPE ( @ @ @ @ @ taken to a separate wing of the facility to an isolation room . ''
`` @ @ @ @ @ would both be tested for the coronavirus , but until the test results returned , @ @ @ @ @ of our room .
We were very fortunate and received two of the remaining rapid @ @ @ @ @ came back negative two hours later , so we were moved to the regular Labor @ @ @ @ @ whole experience was lovely — the nurses and staff were kind and thoughtful , and @ @ @ @ @ well managed and handled . ''

5. "I had my baby in July. Due to the heat of the summer, my initial temperature reading was 100.5. Less than a minute later, my temp was 98.7. However, my initial temperature caused me to be a COVID-19 'person of interest' and my husband and I were immediately covered in PPE (personal protective equipment) and taken to a separate wing of the facility to an isolation room."
"We were told that we would both be tested for the coronavirus, but until the test results returned, we were not allowed out of our room. We were very fortunate and received two of the remaining rapid results tests. My test came back negative two hours later, so we were moved to the regular Labor and Delivery wing. Our whole experience was lovely — the nurses and staff were kind and thoughtful, and our coronavirus scare was very well managed and handled."
—jessikraai


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--I Caught My Husband Using My Photos To Catfish Another Woman — WTF Should I Do?

So my first question is whether you have anyone else in your life , be it a family member or @ @ @ @ @ provide a little support right now — whether it 's helping out with childcare , @ @ @ @ @ , or offering a safe place for you and your son to stay while you @ @ @ @ @ I do n't know whether you 've told any loved ones about what 's going @ @ @ @ @ but I think you should , because they might be able to give you a @ @ @ @ @ .
Please do n't feel like you have to navigate this by yourself .

So my first question is whether you have anyone else in your life, be it a family member or a friend, who can provide a little support right now — whether it's helping out with childcare, giving you a small loan, or offering a safe place for you and your son to stay while you get on your feet. I don't know whether you've told any loved ones about what's going on in your marriage, but I think you should, because they might be able to give you a vital safety net right now. Please don't feel like you have to navigate this by yourself.


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--This Guy's Super-Long Thumb Has Gone Mega Viral And It's 100% Real

BuzzFeed spoke to Jacob , who said he discovered he could extend his thumb during his freshman year of high @ @ @ @ @ dislocate my thumb , by forcing it out of its socket , to make it @ @ @ @ @ explained , adding , `` My doctor says it 's abnormal but ca n't officially @ @ @ @ @ medical conditions . ''

BuzzFeed spoke to Jacob, who said he discovered he could extend his thumb during his freshman year of high school. "I just dislocate my thumb, by forcing it out of its socket, to make it appear longer," he explained, adding, "My doctor says it's abnormal but can't officially link it to any known medical conditions."


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--I Tried To Revive My Wavy Hair Using Viral TikTok Methods And Here's How It Went

I think after years of heat damage , the texture of my hair has changed and it will take a @ @ @ @ @ , and further experimentation with products to get it to a *WOW* state , but @ @ @ @ @ the very least !
I 'm glad I tried these products and methods and will @ @ @ @ @ in the future .

My fourth attempt was using a brand-new blow-dryer and diffuser with the Shea Moisture line. (Yes, I know I mentioned heat wasn't going to be involved in this journey, but it was on the lowest setting and it was a method most people on TikTok were using, so I had to try it.) My old hair dryer was...ready to retire. I decided that the T3 Cura Luxe hair dryer would be a great replacement. This thing's won seven awards, so I had high expectations.


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--Blanked-Out Spots On China's Maps Helped Us Uncover Xinjiang's Camps


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--China Secretly Built A Vast New Infrastructure To Imprison Muslims

China rounded up so many Muslims in Xinjiang that there wasn ’ t enough space to hold them .
Then the government started building .
This is Part 1 of a BuzzFeed News investigation .
For Part 2 , click here .
This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund , the Pulitzer Center , and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism .
China has secretly built scores of massive new prison and internment camps in the past three years , dramatically escalating its campaign against Muslim minorities even as it publicly claimed the detainees had all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these purpose-built , high-security camps — some capable of housing tens of thousands of people — signals a radical shift away from the country ’ s previous makeshift use of public buildings , like schools and retirement homes , to a vast and permanent infrastructure for mass detention .
In the most extensive investigation of China ’ s internment camp system ever done using publicly available satellite images , coupled with dozens of interviews with former detainees , BuzzFeed News identified more than 260 structures built since 2017 and bearing the hallmarks of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least one in nearly every county in the far-west region of Xinjiang .
During that time , the investigation shows , China has established a sprawling system to detain and incarcerate hundreds of thousands of Uighurs , Kazakhs , and other Muslim minorities , in what is already the largest-scale detention of ethnic and religious minorities since World War II .
These forbidding facilities — including several built or significantly expanded within the last year — are part of the government ’ s unprecedented campaign of mass detention of more than a million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That year Chen Quanguo , the region ’ s top official and Communist Party boss , whom the US recently sanctioned over human rights abuses , also put Muslim minorities — more than half the region ’ s population of about 25 million — under perpetual surveillance via facial recognition cameras , cellphone tracking , checkpoints , and heavy-handed human policing .
They are also subject to many other abuses , ranging from sterilization to forced labor .
To detain thousands of people in short order , the government repurposed old schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number of detainees swelled , in 2018 the government began building new facilities with far greater security measures and more permanent architectural features , such as heavy concrete walls and guard towers , the BuzzFeed News analysis shows .
Prisons often take years to build , but some of these new compounds took less than six months , according to historical satellite data .
The government has also added more factories within camp and prison compounds during that time , suggesting the expansion of forced labor within the region .
Construction was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ People are living in horror in these places , ” said 49-year-old Zhenishan Berdibek , who was detained in a camp in the Tacheng region for much of 2018 .
“ Some of the younger people were not as tolerant as us — they cried and screamed and shouted.
” But Berdibek , a cancer survivor , couldn ’ t muster the energy .
As she watched the younger women get dragged away to solitary confinement , “ I lost my hope , ” she said .
“ I wanted to die @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 268 newly built compounds by cross-referencing blanked-out areas on Baidu Maps — a Google Maps–like tool that ’ s widely used in China — with images from external satellite data providers .
These compounds often contained multiple detention facilities .
Ninety-two of these facilities have been identified or verified as detention centers by other sources , such as government procurement documents , academic research , or , in 19 cases , visits by journalists .
Another 176 facilities have been established by satellite imagery alone .
The images frequently show thick walls at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wire fencing that creates pens and corridors in the courtyards .
Many compounds in the region are walled , but the facilities identified by BuzzFeed News have much heavier fortifications .
At 121 of these compounds , they also show guard towers , often built into the perimeter wall .
In response to a detailed list of questions about this article as well as a list of GPS coordinates of facilities identified in this article , the Chinese Consulate in New York said “ the issue concerning Xinjiang is by no means about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but about combating violent terrorism and separatism , ” adding that it was a “ groundless lie ” that a million Uighurs have been detained in the region .
“ Xinjiang has set up vocational education and training centers in order to root out extreme thoughts , enhance the rule of law awareness through education , improve vocational skills and create employment opportunities for them , so that those affected by extreme and violent ideas can return to society as soon as possible , ” the consulate added , saying human rights are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trainees have freedom of movement.
” But it also compared its program to “ compulsory programs for terrorist criminals ” it said are taking place in other countries including the US and UK .
China 's Foreign Ministry and Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment .
The new facilities are scattered across every populated area of the region , and several are large enough to accommodate 10,000 prisoners at a minimum , based on their size and architectural features .
( One of the reporters on this story is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the new facilities appear more permanent and prisonlike , similar in construction to high-security prisons in other parts of China .
The most highly fortified compounds offer little space between buildings , tiny concrete-walled yards , heavy masonry construction , and long networks of corridors with cells down either side .
Their layouts are cavernous , allowing little natural light to the interior of the buildings .
BuzzFeed News could see how rooms were laid out at some high-security facilities by examining historical satellite photos taken as they were being constructed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With at least tens of thousands of detainees crowded into government buildings repurposed as camps by the end of 2017 , the government began building the largest new facilities in the spring of 2018 .
Several were complete by October 2018 , with further facilities built through 2019 and construction of a handful more continuing even now .
The government has said its camps are schools and vocational training centers where detainees are “ deradicalized.
” The government ’ s own internal documentation about its policies in Xinjiang has used the term “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describe “ educational schools.
” The government claims that its campaign combats extremism in the region .
But most who end up in these facilities are not extremists of any sort .
Downloading WhatsApp , which is banned in China , maintaining ties with family abroad , engaging in prayer , and visiting a foreign website are all offenses for which Muslims have been sent to camps , according to previously leaked documents and interviews with former detainees .
Because the government does not consider internment camps to be part of the criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are crimes under Chinese law , no detainees have been formally arrested or charged with a crime , let alone seen a day in court .
The compounds BuzzFeed News identified likely include extrajudicial internment camps — which hold people who are not suspected of any crime — as well as prisons .
Both types of facilities have security features that closely resemble each other .
Xinjiang ’ s prison population has grown massively during the government ’ s campaign : In 2017 , the region had 21 % of all arrests in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 % of the national population — an eightfold increase from the year before , according to a New York Times analysis of government data .
Because China ’ s Communist Party–controlled courts have a more than 99 % conviction rate , the overwhelming majority of those arrests likely resulted in convictions .
People detained in the camps told BuzzFeed News they were subjected to torture , hunger , overcrowding , solitary confinement , forced birth control , and a range of other abuses .
They said they were put through brainwashing programs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak only in the Chinese language .
Some former detainees said they were forced to labor without pay in factories .
The government heavily restricts the movements of independent journalists and researchers in the region , and heavily censors the internet and its own domestic media .
Muslim minorities can be punished for posts on social media .
But satellite images that are collected from independent providers remain outside the scope of Chinese government censorship .
Other kinds of evidence have also occasionally leaked out .
In September , a drone video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their heads shaven and their arms tied behind their backs , wearing vests that say “ Kashgar Detention Center.
” Nathan Ruser , a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute who has done extensive satellite imagery analysis of the detention and prison systems in Xinjiang , said the video shows a prisoner transfer that took place in April 2019 — months after the government first said the system was for vocational training .
Previous analyses , including by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in November 2018 , identified several dozen early camps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Xinjiang has the overall logic of colonial genocides in North America , the formalized racism of apartheid , the industrial-scale internment of Germany 's concentration camps , and the police-state penetration into everyday life of North Korea , ” said Rian Thum , a scholar of the history of Islam in China at the University of Nottingham .
The campaign has done deep damage to many Muslim minority groups — but especially Uighurs , who are by far the most populous ethnic minority group in Xinjiang and do not have ties to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has heavily penalized expressions of Turkic minority culture , from Kazakh- and Uighur-language education to the practice of Islam outside of state-controlled mosques .
This , combined with forced sterilizations , has led some critics to say that the campaign qualifies as genocide under international law .
The Trump administration is reportedly discussing whether to formally call it a genocide , and a spokesperson for Joe Biden , the Democratic nominee for president , said on Tuesday that Biden supports the label .
“ These are peaceful people in concentration camps , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was jailed and later exiled from Xinjiang after opening kindergartens that taught Uighur children in their own language .
“ They are businessmen and scholars and engineers .
They are our musicians .
They are doctors .
They are shopkeepers , restaurant owners , teachers who used Uighur textbooks .
“ These are the pillars of our society .
Without them , we can not exist.
” Early on , the government remade schools , retirement homes , hospitals , and other public buildings into internment camps .
There were other , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News identified 47 built before 2017 that have been used to lock people up in the region .
Some detention facilities are geared toward releasing detainees after several months ; in others , detainees may be sentenced to prison terms , said Adrian Zenz , a leading researcher on the abuses in Xinjiang .
Three former detainees interviewed by BuzzFeed News said they were held for months in detention without any charges against them — far longer than is allowed by law — before they were transferred to internment camps .
The detentions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers in the camps quickly swelled until the inmates were living on top of each other .
BuzzFeed News interviewed 28 former detainees from the region , many of whom described being blindfolded and handcuffed , much like the men shown in the video .
Many spoke through an interpreter .
They are among a tiny minority of former detainees who were released and left the country — but they described a brutal system that they saw growing and changing with their own eyes .
Most recalled being frequently moved from camp to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was meant to combat overcrowding in the first generation of makeshift facilities .
At the beginning of the campaign , hundreds of people were arriving on a daily basis .
New batches of detainees always seemed to be coming and going .
Some former detainees described sleeping two to a twin bed , or even sleeping in shifts when there was not enough room to house all the detainees .
Almost all said they received meager quantities of rice , steamed buns , and porridge , and little or no meat or other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic Kazakh , was first detained relatively early in the campaign , around the end of 2017 .
At first , he slept in a room with seven other men , and everyone had a bed to themselves .
But within a few months , he began to notice more and more people arriving .
“ One day I saw a pregnant woman in shackles , ” he said .
“ Another woman had a baby in her arms , she was breastfeeding.
” By February 2018 , there were 15 men in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some of us had to share blankets or sleep on the floor , ” he said .
“ They told us later that some of us would be given prison sentences or transferred to other camps.
” Camp officials regularly forced detainees to memorize Communist Party propaganda and Chinese characters in classrooms .
But some former detainees said their facilities were too crowded for even this — instead , they had to sit on plastic stools next to their beds and stare at textbooks , sitting with their backs perfectly straight while cameras @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were too many people to fit in classrooms .
For Koksebek , the claustrophobia was unbearable .
“ There was a window in our room , but it was so high I couldn ’ t see much other than a patch of sky , ” he said .
“ I used to wish I were a bird so I could have the freedom to fly.
” On a frigid , overcast morning last December , Shohrat Zakir , the region ’ s governor and second-most-powerful official , gave a rare press conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Office , located in a closed compound in central Beijing .
The office is one of only a handful of government bodies in China that regularly briefs both local and international journalists , and Zakir sat with four other officials at a long podium at the front of the small room .
The officials took the opportunity to tout the region ’ s economic growth and claim China ’ s campaign against terrorism in Xinjiang has been a success , calling the US government hypocritical for its criticism of China ’ s human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one who made international headlines .
Of those held in the camps as “ trainees , ” Zakir painted a rosy picture .
They “ have all graduated , and have realized stable employment with the government ’ s help , improved their quality of life , and are enjoying a happy life , ” he said .
Even as reporters were scribbling down his remarks , about 2,500 miles away in Xinjiang , construction was wrapping up on a massive high-security compound near the Uighur heartland county of Shufu , just south @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a countryside dotted by livestock farms .
Shufu is small by Chinese standards , with a population of about 300,000 people .
It has a main drag with a post office , a lottery ticket vendor , and eateries selling steamed buns and beef noodle soup .
The camp was built on farmland less than a 20-minute drive away .
Before workers started construction last March , the land beneath the Shufu site was farmland too , blanketed with green vegetation .
By August , workers had built a thick perimeter enclosure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in the center of walls that rise nearly 6 meters , or more than 19 feet , satellite images show .
Next came the buildings inside , organized in U-shaped groups , with two five-story structures alongside a two-story one forming the base of the U .
By October , two rows of barbed wire fencing appeared on either side of the main concrete-walled compound , its shadow visible in satellite images .
Just outside the walls , on the western side of the compound , two guard buildings were built — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from them up to the wall that would allow guards to access the guard towers and the tops of the walls for patrols .
In front of the entrance , a series of buildings provided space for prison offices and police buildings .
In total BuzzFeed News estimates that there is room for approximately 10,500 prisoners at this compound — which would help provide a long-term solution to overcrowding .
Ruser reviewed satellite images of the compound and said it was a newly built detention camp .
“ The vast majority of camps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong external wall entranceway or exit , ” he said .
Unlike the old , repurposed camps , new prisons and camps such as this one have higher security , with gates up to four stories tall and thicker walls along their borders , often with further layers of barbed wire on either side of the main walls .
These features suggest they are capable of holding much larger groups of people in long-term detention .
The camps can contain not only cells where detainees sleep , but also classrooms , clinics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solitary confinement rooms , police buildings , administrative offices , and small visitor centers , former detainees told BuzzFeed News .
Many of the compounds also contain factories , distinguished by their blue , powder-coated metal roofs and steel frames , which are visible in satellite photos taken while they were being constructed .
The police buildings , including for guards and administrative personnel , are usually located by the entrances of the compounds .
The locations of these camps and prisons in Xinjiang are not readily available .
However , blanked-out portions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it possible to use satellite imagery to find and analyze them .
Satellite maps , like Google Earth , are made up of a grid of rectangular tiles .
On Baidu , the Chinese search giant that has a map service much like Google ’ s , BuzzFeed News discovered that spaces containing camps , military bases , or other politically sensitive facilities were overlaid with plain light gray tiles .
These “ mask ” tiles appeared upon zooming in on the location .
These look different from the darker gray , watermarked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ load something .
The “ mask ” tiles were also present at other locations where camps had been visited and verified by journalists , though they have since been removed .
BuzzFeed News identified the compounds using other satellite maps — provided by Google Earth , Planet Labs , and the European Space Agency ’ s Sentinel Hub — which do not mask those images .
For some locations where high-resolution images were not publicly available , Planet Labs used its own satellite to take new pictures , then provided them to BuzzFeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this investigation was conducted .
The images showed the facilities being built over a period of months .
Details from the images offer a sense of size and scale : Counting the number of windows in building facades , for example , shows how many stories they contain .
Often , these compounds were built next door to an older prison , sharing parking lots , administrative facilities , and police barracks with the older facility , satellite images show .
BuzzFeed News found an additional 50 more compounds that were likely used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost some security features , including barbed wire fencing within compounds used to create rectangular pens , closed passages between buildings , and guard towers , with a small number having been demolished .
Ruser and other experts said this does not suggest the Chinese government is pulling back from its campaign .
Many of those facilities likely still operate as low-security camps , he said .
The far more important trend in Xinjiang , he said , is the government ’ s increased use of higher-security prisons and detention facilities .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New York echoed Zakir 's December statement .
`` All trainees who received courses in standard spoken and written Chinese , understanding of the law , vocational skills , and deradicalization have completed their training , secured stable employment in the society , and are living a normal life , '' it said .
Smile lines appear on Kokteubai ’ s deeply wrinkled face when he talks about his daughter , who was born in 1992 .
She later moved to Kazakhstan , where many ethnic Kazakhs from China emigrate because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people of Kazakh descent .
There , she and her husband campaigned relentlessly for Kokteubai ’ s release in YouTube videos and long letters to human rights groups .
He believes his eventual release in March 2018 was due to her campaign .
Inside the camp , instead of classrooms where students like his daughter might have studied math or history , Kokteubai saw dorm rooms overcrowded with as many as 40 or 50 men each sleeping on too few bunk beds .
Though the compound itself wasn ’ t new , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as high walls and barbed wire around the compound .
And the camp was now dotted with CCTV cameras , which a guard told him could film objects as far as 200 meters away .
Another thing that was new : When you entered the gate , a huge red plaque greeted you .
“ Let ’ s learn the spirit of the 19th Communist Party Congress , ” it said .
Like Kokteubai , several former detainees interviewed by BuzzFeed News said after arriving , they recognized the facilities in which they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ driven past them , or even visited them in their previous incarnations .
But these repurposed facilities were never meant to house prisoners and were not big enough to hold all the Muslim minorities the Chinese government intended to detain .
In early 2019 , workers started clearing land to expand a camp south of Ürümqi , in a town called Dabancheng , that had become infamous after reporters from BBC and Reuters visited the year before .
The camp at Dabancheng was already one of the largest internment facilities in the region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to 32,500 people , according to an architectural analysis by BuzzFeed News .
Since the expansion , it is now capable of housing some 10,000 more people .
By November of last year another , separate compound had been completed , this one capable of holding a further 10,000 people — for a total capacity of more than 40,000 , comparable to the size of the town of Niagara Falls .
`` These facilities display characteristics consistent with extrajudicial detention facilities in the Xinjiang region that CSIS has previously analyzed , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights program at Washington DC-based think tank CSIS after examining the three camps referenced in this article .
The camp at Dabancheng , Ruser said , “ is the main catchment camp for Ürümqi .
It ’ s 2 km ( 1.2 miles ) long and was expanded late last year an extra kilometer with a new facility across the road to the west.
” By comparison , the camp is about half the length of Central Park .
Kokteubai never found out precisely why he was detained .
Because he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to settle in Kazakhstan .
On the day he was released , he expected to feel joy , relief , something .
Instead he felt nothing at all .
“ I wasn ’ t happy or sad .
I couldn ’ t feel anything , ” he said .
“ Even when I was reunited with my relatives in Kazakhstan , they asked me why I didn ’ t seem happy to see them after so long.
” “ It ’ s something I can ’ t explain , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feelings died while I was in there.
” ●

Ninety-two of these facilities have been identified or verified as detention centers by other sources, such as government procurement documents, academic research, or, in 19 cases, visits by journalists.
Another 176 facilities have been established by satellite imagery alone. The images frequently show thick walls at the perimeter, and often, barbed wire fencing that creates pens and corridors in the courtyards. Many compounds in the region are walled, but the facilities identified by BuzzFeed News have much heavier fortifications. At 121 of these compounds, they also show guard towers, often built into the perimeter wall.
In response to a detailed list of questions about this article as well as a list of GPS coordinates of facilities identified in this article, the Chinese Consulate in New York said “the issue concerning Xinjiang is by no means about human rights, religion or ethnicity, but about combating violent terrorism and separatism,” adding that it was a “groundless lie” that a million Uighurs have been detained in the region.
“Xinjiang has set up vocational education and training centers in order to root out extreme thoughts, enhance the rule of law awareness through education, improve vocational skills and create employment opportunities for them, so that those affected by extreme and violent ideas can return to society as soon as possible,” the consulate added, saying human rights are protected in the centers and that “trainees have freedom of movement.” But it also compared its program to “compulsory programs for terrorist criminals” it said are taking place in other countries including the US and UK.
China's Foreign Ministry and Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The new facilities are scattered across every populated area of the region, and several are large enough to accommodate 10,000 prisoners at a minimum, based on their size and architectural features. (One of the reporters on this story is a licensed architect.)
Unlike early sites, the new facilities appear more permanent and prisonlike, similar in construction to high-security prisons in other parts of China. The most highly fortified compounds offer little space between buildings, tiny concrete-walled yards, heavy masonry construction, and long networks of corridors with cells down either side. Their layouts are cavernous, allowing little natural light to the interior of the buildings. BuzzFeed News could see how rooms were laid out at some high-security facilities by examining historical satellite photos taken as they were being constructed, including photos of buildings without roofs.
With at least tens of thousands of detainees crowded into government buildings repurposed as camps by the end of 2017, the government began building the largest new facilities in the spring of 2018. Several were complete by October 2018, with further facilities built through 2019 and construction of a handful more continuing even now.
The government has said its camps are schools and vocational training centers where detainees are “deradicalized.” The government’s own internal documentation about its policies in Xinjiang has used the term “concentration,” or 集中, to describe “educational schools.”
The government claims that its campaign combats extremism in the region. But most who end up in these facilities are not extremists of any sort.
Downloading WhatsApp, which is banned in China, maintaining ties with family abroad, engaging in prayer, and visiting a foreign website are all offenses for which Muslims have been sent to camps, according to previously leaked documents and interviews with former detainees. Because the government does not consider internment camps to be part of the criminal justice system and none of these behaviors are crimes under Chinese law, no detainees have been formally arrested or charged with a crime, let alone seen a day in court.
The compounds BuzzFeed News identified likely include extrajudicial internment camps — which hold people who are not suspected of any crime — as well as prisons. Both types of facilities have security features that closely resemble each other. Xinjiang’s prison population has grown massively during the government’s campaign: In 2017, the region had 21% of all arrests in China, despite making up less than 2% of the national population — an eightfold increase from the year before, according to a New York Times analysis of government data. Because China’s Communist Party–controlled courts have a more than 99% conviction rate, the overwhelming majority of those arrests likely resulted in convictions.


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--"Black Panther" Star Chadwick Boseman Has Died Of Colon Cancer

`` It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman , ” the official statement read @ @ @ @ @ with stage III colon cancer in 2016 , and battled with it these last 4 @ @ @ @ @ stage IV . ''

"It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman,” the official statement read. "Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV."