Education and training in Xinjiang in line with rule of law: white paper

Education and training in Xinjiang is practiced in line with the spirit and requirements of the rule of law in China, according to a white paper issued Friday by the State Council Information Office.

Local people in Aksu Prefecture in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region gather after work to perform Mexrep, a kind of traditional Uygur folk custom that consists of songs, dances and games, on October 8, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

It also reflects the ideas and principles of counter-terrorism and deradicalization as practiced by the international community, said the white paper on the vocational education and training in Xinjiang.

The document stated that Xinjiang has enacted and revised, in accordance with legal procedures, two local regulations.

In accordance with the Counter-terrorism Law of the People's Republic of China, the Measures of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Implementing the Counter-terrorism Law of the People's Republic of China, the Regulations of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Deradicalization, and other laws and regulations, vocational education and training centers have been established in Xinjiang, according to the white paper.

At present, the trainees at the centers fall into three categories. According to the document, they are:

-- People who were incited, coerced or induced into participating in terrorist or extremist activities, or people who participated in terrorist or extremist activities in circumstances that were not serious enough to constitute a crime;

-- People who were incited, coerced or induced into participating in terrorist or extremist activities, or people who participated in terrorist or extremist activities that posed a real danger but did not cause actual harm, whose subjective culpability was not deep, who acknowledged their offences and were contrite about their past actions and thus do not need to be sentenced to or can be exempted from punishment, and who have demonstrated the willingness to receive training;

-- People who were convicted and received prison sentence for terrorist or extremist crimes and after serving their sentences, have been assessed as still posing a potential threat to society, and who have been ordered by people's courts in accordance with the law to receive education at the centers.

The vocational education and training centers shall provide the people mentioned above with residential vocational training free of charge, and issue certificates of completion when the trainees reach the expected criteria. After graduation, the trainees can choose their own jobs, or employment can be arranged for them with the assistance of relevant authorities, the document said.

The education and training efforts in Xinjiang are also in line with the basic principles clearly defined in the relevant international conventions and initiatives, according to the white paper.

The education and training efforts of Xinjiang manifest China's implementation of international counter-terrorism and deradicalization initiatives and measures, the document added.