Twitter suspended the account of the Chinese Embassy to the U.S., after it defended Beijing’s policy in the Xinjiang province, where millions are placed in mass detention camps. A spokesperson of Twitter confirmed to Bloomberg that the social media platform has locked the account as one of its posts violated the policy against “dehumanization.”

“The minds of Uighur women in Xinjiang were emancipated and gender equality and reproductive health were promoted, making them no longer baby-making machines,” the embassy claimed in a tweet in early January. The tweet cited a China Daily article with studies showing eradication of extremism has given Xinjiang women more autonomy.

The tweet was removed after 24 hours and is now marked as “no longer available.”

The account has not posted anything since it was locked on Jan. 9. The embassy has refused to comment.

Chinese state media has lambasted Twitter for the suspension. “The incident showed how hypocritical the West and the U.S. are when it comes to so-called freedom of speech,” said Li Xiaoxia, a special researcher at the Xinjiang Development Research Center, who released the study cited in the China Daily article.

Less than 24 hours before leaving the office, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that China is committing “genocide” against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. Antony Blinken, his successor, has agreed with the designation.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play