A/76/380 successfully change one’s thoughts, 119 what is clear is that States must ensure that these programmes do not amount to coercion under article 18 (2) of the Covenant. 62. The Special Rapporteur is concerned, for example, about reports that Sri Lankan “reintegration centres” could violate human rights, 120 and that the Government of Ethiopia detains political prisoners in “rehabilitation camps”, where they are forced to endure political indoctrination, poor living conditions and agonizing physical activities with the purported goal of altering their thoughts. 121 63. Furthermore, rights monitors highlight the detention of ethnic Uighurs and other ethno-religious minorities in “re-education” camps in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, 122 which the Government of China reportedly promotes in order to “wash brains” and “cleanse hearts” of “extreme religious ideologies”. 123 Civil society organizations report that many detainees are forced to attend weekly meetings where they must memorize and recite pro-Chinese policy documents and take Chinese language classes. 124 Some claim that China indoctrinates religious minorities during regularly imposed “home stays”, by promoting official government policies and warning them of the dangers of “pan-Islamism”, “pan-Turkism” and “pan-Kazakhism”. 125 64. Stakeholders also highlight cases of individuals who are restricted from engaging in certain educational content, which could inhibit critical thinking, such as attempts by the Government of Hungary to restrict the research projects of several academic institutions, 126 or scholars and students that are “disappeared”, incarcerated or otherwise targeted for their academic pursuits. 127 Reportedly, some States have restricted scholars’ activities under the auspices of the COVID -19 pandemic, such as by increasing control over digital communication and attacking those who contest State narratives on the pandemic. 128 Some observe that particular subjects in schools, such as history, science (including evolution and sex education) and religion or belief, are often those that are restricted or imposed. 65. Interlocutors express concern over several State practices that could pressure students and scholars, dissidents and human rights defenders, among others, to self censor their expression to avoid sanctions such as financial hardship, v iolence or arrest. Such treatment might not coercively alter or sanction their thoughts, but rather limits expression of their thoughts, including through academic papers, social media posts or attending protests. This restricted flow of information could potentially affect an individual’s critical development of thought. For instance, Chinese university __________________ 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 18/28 See https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315387420 -8/deradicalization-ddrstig-jarle-hansen?context=ubx&refId=f0f94fac-5c52-4330-85fd-12079d138488; and https://journals.sfu.ca/jd/index.php/jd/article/view/33 , p. 3. Communication OL LKA 3/2021, pp. 9–12. See https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/20/mass-arrests-brainwashing-threaten-ethiopias-reformagenda; and https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1247841/download . CERD/C/CHN/CO/14-17, para. 40; communication CHN 21/2018; see also https://fot.humanists.international/download-the-report/, p. 96; and submission – Crimean Tatar Resource Center. See https://www.jpolrisk.com/wash-brains-cleanse-hearts/. See also https://web.archive.org/web/ 20181010124647/http://www.xjpcsc.gov.cn/1009/t4028e49c665347630166588b8cf40001001.html . See https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/04/china0421_web_2.pdf , pp. 25–27; and https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.13169/islastudj.5.2.0175.pdf , p. 180. See https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/05/13/china-visiting-officials-occupy-homes-muslim-region. See https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/02/hungary-renews-its-war-academic-freedom. See https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/action/scholars-in-prison-project/; and https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/academic-freedom-monitoring-project-index/. See https://pen-international.org/news/pen-international-case-list-2020; https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/resources/free-to-think-2020/; and https://link.springer.com/ article/10.1007%2Fs40656-020-00354-7. 21-14191