China releases documentary of ETIM militant attacks amid criticism over Xinjiang camps

China has released a rare documentary showing for the first time some of the deadly attacks conducted by the separatist militant outfit East Turkistan Islamic Movement in Xinjiang, justifying the massive crackdown and detention of thousands of Uyghur Muslims in the restive province, amid mounting international criticism.

China has faced severe criticism in the last several months from the UN and western countries over reports that it is holding over a million people, mostly ethnic Uyghurs, in internment camps in Xinjiang in a bid to wean them away from religious extremism.

The resource-rich Xinjiang province is home to over 10 million Turkik-speaking Uighur Muslims. The province has been restive for several years due to settlements there of the Han Chinese.

In a white paper on Xinjiang issued in July this year, China defended the camps, describing the facilities as re-education centres aimed at de-radicalising sections of the Uyghur Muslim population.

The documentary telecast by the ..