Mike Pompeo Photo: AFP
On January 19, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in the name of a "press statement" from the US State Department, published Xinjiang-related fallacies. He launched groundless attacks and premeditated slander on Xinjiang. Pompeo claimed that Xinjiang's policies on Muslim and ethnic minorities constituted "crimes against humanity" and "genocide". This is sheer nonsense, and a gross interference in China's internal affairs.
It is a serious violation of international law and basic norms of international relations. The so-called conclusion is nothing but a wasted piece of paper. This former US Secretary of State (who is proud of cheating, lying and stealing) has fabricated too many lies and made too many vicious remarks over the past few years. When he was about to step down, he continued to bluster with a fetid stench of the Cold War.
He wantonly attacked and discredited China's governance in Xinjiang. He once again showed the world his doomsday madness of carrying out his lie diplomacy to the end. This has exposed the hideous and pompous face of "the worst secretary of state in the history" of the US.
Pompeo is the most insidious hand behind terrorist activities. As we all know, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is a terrorist organization recognized by the UN Security Council and the international community. A long time ago, the ETIM spread violent terrorist thoughts in the guise of religion. It further incited, plotted and conducted a series of violent terrorist activities, causing tremendous damage to the safety of people's lives and property.
The ETIM organized, plotted and committed a number of violent terrorist activities that shocked China and the rest of the world. These included the October 28 Golden Water Bridge violent terrorist attack in Beijing in 2013, the March 1 serious violent terrorist attack in Kunming, Yunnan in 2014, and the April 30 violent terrorist attack at the south railway station in Urumqi, Xinjiang the same year.
In December, 2019, CGTN broadcast the program titled "The Black Hand—ETIM and Terrorism in Xinjiang". The documentary on Xinjiang's fight against terrorism shows a large number of objective and actual instances to disclose the disasters caused by the ETIM to Xinjiang. These include its evil activities of importing extremist ideas, inciting ethnic hatred, brainwashing women and children, and creating terrorist incidents, etc. It reveals that the ETIM is a part of the international terrorist system, threatening not only China, but also the common security of the world.
However, Pompeo ignored the bloody crimes committed by the ETIM. Instead, he always boosted the violent terrorists' arrogance in the international community and unilaterally announced that the US would not label ETIM as a terrorist organization. Such flip-flopping practices violated the commitment of the US government and seriously undermined international counterterrorism cooperation. During his tenure in power under President Trump, Pompeo has brazenly backed these terrorist forces. He was always conniving to support the ETIM violent terrorist forces; repeatedly meeting members of those notorious violent terrorist and separatist organizations, such as Arafat Erkin and Furqat Jawdat. He gave them a way out, secretly supported them, and even openly defended them under the banner of "democracy" and "human rights".
What he has done is to turn terrorism into a tool to contain other countries. This fully exposes his ugly double standards on counterterrorism and hypocritical face of, "using terrorists when they cooperate and discarding them when they don't". His sinister intention of using terrorism to contain China is obvious to all. Boosting terrorists' arrogance is no different from playing with fire. Pompeo should recall what the consequences were when the US supported Bin Laden. He will reap what he has sown.
Pompeo is a daring vanguard of "genocide" in the US. During Pompeo's term in office, he did nothing about domestic racial problems. In fact, he allowed the spread of racism and white supremacy which made ethnic minorities suffer from all-round discrimination in American politics, economics, culture and social life. In particular, the death of African American George Floyd and the subsequent mass protest once again exposed the US's protracted, systematic and serious racial discrimination. This led to ethnic minorities crying, "I cannot breathe."
What Pompeo has done violates international norms and values, human morality and basic conscience, international human rights concept and convention principles. This surely must be rejected by the world.
Pompeo is a patron of the US's reckless construction of "detention centers". In the past, the US has established detention centers in Guantanamo Bay and many other parts of the world to secretly hold detainees. It is known that when Pompeo served as director of the CIA, he took part in it, implementing grievous and inhumane tortures on detainees. The UK Independent website reported on December 14, 2017 that Nils Melzer, the United Nations Human Rights Council special rapporteur on torture, said that detainees in Guantanamo prison are tortured and ill-treated.
This is prohibited by international law. Melzer urged the US to end its torture of detainees held at the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The Los Angeles Times reported on its website on July 26, 2018 that a Pakistani, mistaken for an extremist, was imprisoned and tortured in Guantanamo for as long as 14 years without a trial, resulting in serious physical and mental suffering.
Pompeo is a destroyer of the world order. The hegemonic logic he pursued is undoubtedly a tremendous disaster for the whole world. The US diplomacy led by him deduced unilateralism to the extreme, and is addicted to withdrawing from organizations and breaking treaties. This has clearly caused unprecedented damage to the international order.
His words and deeds are hysterical with no bottom line. His inflammatory rhetoric repeatedly broke through the world' understanding of civilization, humiliated the professional ethics of diplomats, and staged one political farce one after another. He used a lot of intimidation, lies and sanctions. The outcome made the whole world see Washington's arrogance, hypocrisy and despotism. It tore down the mask of democracy, freedom and human rights that the US has arrogantly flaunted. Even the New York Times commented that Pompeo "has so damaged the State Department's reputation, built over centuries of service and sacrifice."
Facts speak louder than words. Xinjiang has witnessed earthshaking changes in recent years, with unprecedented achievements in socio-economic development. Xinjiang has seen livelihoods improved and human rights protected. Xinjiang's social stability, prosperous economy and the people's peaceful and happy life are obvious to the whole world. It cannot be wiped out by anyone. We believe that Pompeo's lies and pernicious influences will be swept into the garbage of history. Then the world and Xinjiang will be more harmonious and peaceful. What Pompeo has done is bound to be condemned by history.
The article is from the Xinjiang Development and Research Center. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn