TO GO WITH China-Xinjiang-Uyghurs, PHOTO ESSAY by Pedro Pardo
This picture taken on July 17, 2023, shows a man riding a scooter past a government billboard urging people to "forge an understanding of the collective Chinese people" outside Yarkant in northwestern China's Xinjiang region. Beijing stands accused of incarcerating over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a network of detention facilities across Xinjiang, a region in northwestern China that is shrouded in secrecy, under extreme surveillance and under-reported. However, China insists allegations it has committed genocide are the "lie of the century" and says its actions have helped to combat extremism and enhance development. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP) / TO GO WITH China-Xinjiang-Uyghurs, PHOTO ESSAY by Pedro Pardo