U.S. calls Xinjiang an 'open-air prison,' decries religious persecution by China

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Chinese government has turned its western Xinjiang province into essentially an "open-air prison," a U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday as the department published a report that criticized China's persecution of religious minorities.

Department of State Office of International Freedom Senior Official Daniel Nadel told reporters that ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in the region were subjected to forced labor and have their movements closely tracked.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)