Human Rights in China: One Photo Calls to Mind Another

The image is shocking: 109 Chinese Uighurs that were arrested in Thailand after having fled China have been handed over to Peking authorities and repatriated on a special flight, their faces covered by a black fabric bag, each flanked by two members of the special forces.

This is what happened last weekend in China. and Chinese state television, CCTV, showed images of this disastrous repatriation, no doubt in order to discourage the Uighurs in western China — where there is strong resentment toward the central power — from being tempted to flee for economic or political reasons.

Criticism has poured in, primarily of the Thai government which gave in to China’s demands to repatriate these men, some of whom are openly accused of trying to join separatist organizations of Uighurs in exile, considered terrorists by Peking. Criticism has also been aimed at China for the staging of this forced return.

And then a tweet appeared, posted by Bill Bishop, an American who has been living in China for many years, where he publishes the well-known Sinocism China Newsletter.

Bishop unearthed a photo taken in an American military plane, in the center of which is an American flag flying above the prisoners, whose faces are covered with a black fabric bag just like the Uighurs in the Chinese repatriation. The detainees are seated and bound, watched by soldiers on either side.

Sarcastically, Bishop comments: “Not Uighurs being shipped from Thailand. Wonder if this gave China any ideas?”

The coincidence of these very similar photos — although in the Chinese airliner, the prisoners seem more “comfortable” — allows us to see how much an image can be misleading and generate truncated emotions.

Certainly, the fate of the Uighurs being repatriated by force to China does not look good, and doubtlessly will lead to death for some of them; but the method is every bit as good as that of the Americans sending their prisoners to Guantanamo outside the legal process of the rule of law — a detention camp which, we’ll remember, remains open, despite the electoral promise and initial efforts of Barack Obama to close it.

This is the magic — occasional, not consistent — of social networks that allow us to make an initial piece of information more complex, nuanced and complete.