US bill on Xinjiang disrespects facts, says Turkish expert

ANKARA - The Xinjiang-related bill passed by the US House of Representatives shows a disregard for facts, Cem Kizilcec, director of the International Department of Turkey's Socialism Studies Academic Association, has said.

The passage of the Xinjiang-related bill shows that the United States is "ignoring the real facts" and Western media are distorting the facts with a smear campaign targeting China, Kizilcec told Xinhua recently.

On Dec 3, the US House of Representatives passed the so-called "Uygur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019", maliciously attacking the human rights conditions in Xinjiang and slandering China's de-radicalization and anti-terrorism efforts.

China has expressed strong indignation over and firm opposition to the passing of the bill.

The measures taken by the Chinese government to fight terrorism in Xinjiang were all done "in a lawful manner," Kizilcec said, adding that Xinjiang has not had any violent incident over the years because of such measures.

Kizilcec said that based on his own experience while visiting Xinjiang, those allegations against China were untrue.

"I have been there many times. There are no religious restrictions," he said. "The Uygur people support China's policies in Xinjiang."

The bill "will damage the existing relations between China and the US very badly," he said.

Kizilcec also denounced the United States' repeated interference in China's internal affairs, noting that "this is a real plot organized by some circles outside and inside the United States".