China appoints new Xinjiang governor amid abuse accusations

BEIJING (AP) — China has appointed a new governor for Xinjiang where the ruling Communist Party is accused of carrying out mass detentions and other abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim. A former vice governor, Erkin Tuniyaz gained some notoriety for delivering a vociferous defense of Chinese policies in the region, particularly the use of facilities critics call detention centers but which China says are intended for vocational training and deradicalization. Tuniyaz is an ethnic Uyghur who studied economics and law. Xinjiang’s most powerful official is Communist Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, who is accused of overseeing the mass detentions and all-enveloping surveillance of minorities.