Experts note that while Chinese law guarantees equal treatment and autonomy for ethnic minorities, these principles in many instances aren’t honored in practice. Human rights groups accuse Beijing of taking advantage of the U.S.-led “war on terror” that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to pursue a rigorous crackdown on suspected Uyghur separatists. China has accused Uyghur separatists of fomenting unrest in the region, particularly in the run-up to and during the Olympics last year, when a wave of violence hit the vast desert region. The violence prompted a crackdown in which the government says 1,295 people were detained for state security crimes.