Turkistan Times, April 26, Istanbul: At a time when the Chinese government's large-scale illegal detention and "re-education camp" system in East Turkestan is facing severe international condemnation, a police officer who served directly within this system has exposed shocking truths from Germany. Former officer Zhang Yabo described how the lives of Uyghurs and other ethnicities in East Turkestan changed after the camps came under international scrutiny. Specifically, he recounted the horrifying reality he witnessed in nearly 50 prisons and camps in places like Hotan and Aksu between 2014 and 2023. Zhang Yabo’s testimony reveals that the repression in East Turkestan is not merely a temporary "camp" system, but a systematic "prison cycle."
Zhang Yabo revealed that for Chinese police in East Turkestan, the most important Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is not reducing crime, but rather increasing the number of detainees or returning those who have been released back to prison. He described the fate of more than 60 Uyghurs released from Shaya Prison in 2020; upon their release, they were not sent to their families but were instead handed over to state security police for re-interrogation. Under the pretext of "deep digging," police found simple reasons to "re-sentence" these individuals—even though they had already served their previous terms—for acts such as having prayed, wearing a headscarf, or playing basketball to stay fit.
One of the points specifically mentioned in the report is the internal situation of camps established under the guise of "psychiatric hospitals." During the period from 2017 to 2018 when Zhang Yabo worked at the Hotan Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, he personally heard the bitter screams of detainees during torture. He disclosed that many people chose to stay in the hospital by pretending to be "mentally ill" to escape harsher camps or prisons. However, in this process, they lost their health through forced medication, and some died following torture. Zhang Yabo emphasized that such torture has become a daily routine in the camps.
Zhang Yabo also spoke in detail about how Chinese authorities deceive international inspections. Before the arrival of foreign journalists or delegations, local cadres would move residents out of Uyghur villages and replace them with Chinese cadres who speak Uyghur or "trained" local personnel dressed in their place to tell stories of a "happy life." Through this, the existence of systematic torture and camps was completely denied. At the same time, the "Tian Wang" (Skynet/Iron Net) system and high-tech surveillance networks tested in East Turkestan were later implemented across all of China.
One of the most moving parts of the report concerns the "informant" system, for which Zhang Yabo cited the story of a Uyghur car mechanic. Although this man escaped prison in exchange for providing information to the Chinese police, he was deprived of the chance to see his girlfriend in the city because of his obligation to report to the village police station every day before 8:00 PM. This type of control system has turned the entire society into one large open-air prison. According to Zhang Yabo, there are several such informants in every village, and they serve as the pillars of local police control.
Finally, in August 2025, Zhang Yabo took the opportunity during a trip to Europe with his son to remain in Germany. He explained that his reason for fleeing—leaving behind his family, job, and all privileges in China—was to expose this "horrifying reality" he witnessed to the world and to save his own conscience. In his own words, "He lost his motherland, but he brought back his soul." The report also mentions changes in the high-level leadership of China in East Turkestan, including the removal and investigation of Ma Xingrui.
Note: This news was prepared based on the special interview report titled "Former Xinjiang Police Officer Who Fled China: He Lost His Motherland, But Brought Back His Soul," published by the Chinese department of the Deutsche Welle (DW) international broadcaster on April 25, 2026.
