Actors playing victims from Xinjiang who frequently appear in Western media Infographic: GT

Former trainees of vocational education and training centers in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region lambasted an overseas Uygur and sensational Western media reports, especially those from the BBC, for telling and spreading lies of "mass rape" and "forced sterilization" of Xinjiang women.

"This is sheer nonsense," said a Xinjiang official at a press conference on Xinjiang-related issues on Wednesday, echoed by the trainees at the scene, who provided solid facts and clarifying the issues with their personal experience at the former training centers.

The BBC released a horrifying report on February 2 which was made based on "interviews" with only one Uygur woman called "Tursunay Ziawudun," who claimed to be a "victim" of gang-rape and even "forced sterilization." 

"The real name of 'Tursunay Ziawudun' is Tursunay Ziyawudun, a 43-year-old Uygur woman from Xinyuan county, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture," according to Xu Guixiang, deputy director-general of the CPC Publicity Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

"Tursunay never underwent 'forced sterilization' - all her family members know that she is inherently infertile," Xu said.

According to Xu, Tursunay has been married twice. She and her first husband divorced due to her infertility and she has no children with her current husband. Her so-called daughter in Kazakhstan is actually the daughter of her current husband's niece. 

According to Xu, Tursunay left China on September 26, 2019, and she has been willing to act as a chess piece and actor of anti-China forces to falsely claim refugee status.

Tursunay has claimed that women who are "detained" in the training centers must either undergo surgical sterilization or receive medication to stop menstruation.

"Tursunay has shamelessly fabricated her so-called experiences at vocational education and training centers many times. This time she has repeated her same old tricks but the facts are huge slaps in her face," Xu said. 

The BBC also sensationally reported that women at the centers "have been systematically raped, sexually abused, and tortured."

Xu criticized this as "sheer nonsense." 

"The vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang strictly comply with our country's Constitution and legal provisions to ensure that the basic rights of trainees are not violated," he said.

On Xinjiang-related issues, the BBC has used second-hand materials, hyped up sensational reports without cross-checking and craftily quoted interviewees who stand in line with the Western position on Xinjiang.

According to Xu, with a few non-real-life satellite images and so-called reports from anti-China activists, the BBC falsely claimed it has so-called conclusive evidence of Xinjiang's "large-scale forced labor" without even interviewing ordinary Uygur people.

"Recently, the BBC also forcibly filmed an interviewee in Aksu without permission," Xu said. 

"This has seriously deviated from the professional ethics of journalism, fully exposed the BBC's malicious intentions to discredit Xinjiang for political purposes, and also destroyed the BBC's reputation as an internationally renowned media outlet," Xu said.

In BBC's report, the methods of "forced sterilization" against Uygur women also include intrauterine device (IUD) insertion and "unexplained medical tests." 

All of these "facts" provided in the reports are based merely on Tursunay's narration.

"These are all lies. I gave birth to a girl after I graduated from the training center, and she is almost 1 year old now," said Tudigul Nur, a former trainee of a vocational education and training center in Kashi.

Tudigul showed a photo of her daughter during the press conference.

"Isn't she cute? How can I give birth to a girl if we were forcefully sterilized?" she said.

Miransa Kare, a former trainee at a vocational education and training center in Kashi and head of women affairs for a village committee, also shared her experience.

"I feel very angry about these rumors. I have two children now and I can still have another child if I want to, according to our country's family planning policy," Miransa said.

She also explained that one of her roommates got married after graduating from the vocational education and training center and gave birth to a little girl in 2020.

"Some people outside China have been talking nonsense about Xinjiang. They are as annoying as flies," Miransa said.