WUC, 5 March 2012

The Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty (NRPTT), in collaboration with the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), submitted a written statement entitled “Violation of Uyghurs’ right to health: Nuclear testing in Xinjiang” (A/HRC/19/NGO/57) to the 19th session of the UN Human Rights Council under item 4 (“Human Rights situations that require the attention of the Council”).

More than three decades of nuclear testing at Lop Nor testing site in East Turkestan (also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, XUAR), People‟s Republic of China (PRC), are gravely affecting the right to health of predominantly Uyghur communities in the region.

It is of the utmost importance to start to address the neglected environmental and health impact of radioactive contamination for the Uyghur people, and to guarantee their right to health which is a fundamental part of every person´s human rights and the enjoyment of a dignified life. Human rights are interdependent, indivisible and interrelated. This means that violating the Uyghurs‟ right to health impairs the enjoyment of other human rights, such as the rights to adequate medical care and necessary social services, and the right to information.

The statement calls on China and the UN Human Rights Council to draw attention to, and address the issue of Lop Nor. It also requests that victims receive medical assistance, and for independent research to be conducted in the Lop Nor area to assess how great the risk is.

The full statement is available here.