China says heavily guarded internment camps for Muslims which itcalls vocational training centers will “gradually disappear” if therecomes a day that “society does not need” them.
The camps in the far-westXinjiang region have elicited an international outcry, with former inmatesdescribing harsh conditions where Muslim minorities are subject to politicalindoctrination and psychological torture.
Human rights groups, researchers and the US government estimatethat around 1 million people from the predominantly Muslim Uighur and Kazakhethnic groups are held in the vast network of compounds.
Xinjiang Gov Shohrat Zakirdeclined at a news conference Tuesday to disclose the number of what he called”trainees.”
However, he said the figure isfar less than 1 million.
Zakir said religious activitiesare banned in the camps.