Press Release – For immediate release
27 March 2014
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) urges German Chancellor Angela Merkel to ensure that Uyghur human rights remain not only at the top of the agenda but also of conditional importance to diplomatic relations taking place during Mr Xi’s visit to Germany. President Xi’s visit to Germany presents a rare opportunity for Germany to show leadership in the international arena with regard to human rights in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and more specifically concerning Uyghur rights which have markedly deteriorated under President Xi’s leadership.

Since Xi Jinping became China’s new President a year ago, the Uyghur human rights situation has deteriorated remarkably and it seems likely to continue unabated without international attention. Having already held meetings in The Hague (The Netherlands) and Paris (France), President Xi is set to continue his European tour by visiting Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on 28 March 2014, culminating in meetings in Brussels on 31 March 2014. Although President Xi’s meetings are widely believed to prioritise business, this does present an excellent opportunity to include provisions into the dealings that will ensure and improve the current Uyghur human rights situation.

Below is an open letter by the WUC addressed to Chancellor Merkel.

World Uyghur Congress
Adolf-Kolping-Str. 9
80336 Munich
Germany

Re: Uyghur Human Rights and President Xi Jinping’s Tour of Europe

Dear Chancellor Merkel,

I am writing to you so as to bring to your attention the increasingly deteriorating human rights situation facing Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). With China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to Europe in mind, and more specifically to Germany, this should prove to be an opportune moment in which to raise such concerns directly with President Xi.

As you may already be aware, the human rights situation facing Uyghurs in the PRC has drastically deteriorated since Xi Jinping became China’s new President a year ago. Hundreds of Uyghurs, including women and children, have been arbitrarily arrested and extra-judicially killed by the Chinese authorities, sheltered with impunity by the complicity of the Chinese government. Additionally, the Chinese government has sought to increase its repression on Uyghur culture, language, identity and religion to the point at which Uyghurs can no longer function in their day-to-day lives and live in constant fear of whether or not they or their loved ones will be nominally free tomorrow.

These past 18 months have culminated in the arbitrary arrest of eminent economics scholar Professor Ilham Tohti whose case underscores the plethora of human rights abuses to which Uyghurs have been subjected under President Xi’s presidency. Professor Tohti has been an outspoken yet moderate critic of the PRC’s policies towards Uyghurs, being a particular source of information in a state where independent reporting and free access to Uyghur areas are placed under strict control and censorship. He had especially advocated for working with the Chinese government to find solutions to Uyghur economic, social, cultural and minority standards that fall considerably short of the PRC’s international human rights obligations.

Rather than seeking to bring Professor Tohti into the fold as a well-respected, prominent Uyghur in the PRC to deal with such issues, he was arbitrarily arrested from his Beijing home on January 15. During his apprehension he was reportedly beaten and he has since remained in incommunicado detention without access to a lawyer. Under such conditions, it remains impossible to ascertain whether or not he has been subjected to maltreatment and torture, in addition to raising concerns over whether he is receiving a fair trial in accordance with international law.

His arrest has sent shock-waves among the Uyghur community throughout the PRC who now realise that no Uyghur, however prominent, is immune from being subjected to reprisals for their human rights work. This has only been further elucidated by the recent arrival of hundreds of Uyghur refugees in Thailand who have steadfastly refused to admit that they are from the PRC due to fears of being forcibly returned and treated harshly, as past precedents illustrate.

It is for these reasons that I am writing to you to use the occasion of President Xi’s visit to Europe to ensure that these issues are raised. In view of your positions of power, influence and diplomacy, this occasion could prove vital in ensuring and ameliorating the Uyghur human rights situation if used effectively.

Europe is a place that inspires the rule of law, democracy and human rights. Europe has been an important actor in ensuring the spread of such universal values. Europe is a beacon of hope that inspires many around the world that they too can be afforded such freedoms by their state. Germany has been central to developing these ideals, and has shown itself to be a stalwart champion of Uyghur rights, with special attention to the fact that it hosts several Uyghur human rights organisations, including the WUC.

I am therefore urging you to use your influence now to achieve such ideals for those Uyghurs who are unable to seek redress for the human rights violations to which they are subjected due to having exhausted all the limited domestic avenues of redress.

Yours sincerely,

Rebiya Kadeer
President
World Uyghur Congress