Uighurs Urge Videos Of More Xinjiang Detainees

Members of the Uighur Muslim ethnic group are calling on the mainland authorities to post videos of their relatives who have disappeared into a vast system of internment camps.

The social media campaign, launched on Tuesday under the hashtag #MeTooUyghur, follows the release of a state media video showing famed Uighur musician Abdurehim Heyit, who many believed had died in custody.

"China, show us their videos if they are alive!" Halmurat Harri, a Finland-based Uighur activist, wrote on Twitter.

He urged the government to also release videos to prove that others believed detained are in good health amid reports of neglectful and sometimes brutal conditions in the camps.

Beijing has come under increasing scrutiny for the camps holding an estimated 1 million minority Muslims in Xinjiang.

In a rare show of public criticism from a majority Muslim nation, Turkey on Saturday called the mainland's treatment of Uighurs "a great cause of shame for humanity".

Citing reports of Heyit's death, the Turkish foreign ministry condemned the "concentration camps" and "systematic assimilation" to which Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang are subject.

But the state outlet China Radio International then released video showing apparently shows Heyit in good health and has not been abused.

The authenticity of the video could not be verified, and it was not clear where and by whom it had been filmed.

Many Uighurs outside of China have said they are unable to contact relatives still in Xinjiang . Many of them posted photos of themselves on social media, holding up images of their missing parents, children and siblings.

If they are still alive, the posts said, the mainland government should release videos of them too. (AP)