UPDATE: International Conference on the Upcoming Chinese Leadership Change and its Potential Impact on Uyghur
Press Release – For immediate release
25 September 2012
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]
The East Turkestan Union in Europe and The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) are set to hold an international conference addressing the impact of the Chinese leadership on the Uyghur human rights situation. The conference has been organised in collaboration with and support from the Bavarian parliamentary groups of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party (Bündnis/90 Die Grünen). Attendees will hear from a variety of speakers who possess a wealth of expertise in the field of human rights in China and, more specifically, in those relating to the Uyghurs in East Turkestan.
The timing of the international conference has particular poignancy as 1 October is the Chinese national holiday, yet mourned by millions as a day when freedom and human rights were lost. The situation of the Uyghur people in East Turkestan after 63 years of the Chinese communist occupation and the impact of the Chinese leadership change will be at the forefront of the agenda at the conference, which will be held:
1 October 2012
At the Bavarian Parliament
Maximilianeum, 81627 München, Germany
The opening remarks will be led by WUC President and eminent Uyghur human rights activist Ms Rebiya Kadeer, with Mr Markus Rinderspacher (Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group at Bavarian Parliament) and Ms Margarete Bause (Chairwoman of the Green Party parliamentary group at Bavarian Parliament) also taking the floor to provide their take on this vital issue.
Following the opening remarks, attendees will hear from two panels of experts, the first of which will focus specifically on the potential impacts of the leadership on Uyghurs, whereas the second panel will draw upon the wider issues of the leadership change and how the international community may or should respond. Those speaking are as follows:
Panel One
Mr. Marco Perduca (Senator of the Italian Senate)
Dr. Erkin Ekrem (Haccitepe University, Turkey)
Mr. Ngawang Choephel (President Of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization – UNPO)
Panel Two
Mr. Peter E. Müller (International Society for Human Rights)
Mr. Ulrich Delius (Asia Director for the Society for Threatened Peoples – STP)
Mr. Erkin Alptekin (Honorary President of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization)
To view the full programme of the Conference, including the topics of each speaker, see here.
The conference falls shortly before sweeping changes to China’s leadership that are expected to take place in October 2012 at 18th National Congress of China. Current Paramount Leader, Hu Jintao, and China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao will have to vacate their positions at the highest echelons of power in China, paving the way for potential reform or hardening current policies; the direction to which this will take depends largely on whom the next leaders will be.
This stands as a particularly important period for Uyghurs as there could be some rare opportunities for improvements in human rights that have until now been either scarce or non-existent. This Conference will provide an opportunity for the Uyghur community to engage in discussion about the permutations of this large-scale leadership change and how it might effect them and their families or friends still residing in East Turkestan.