Weekly Brief June 1st
World Uyghur Congress, 1 June 2018
Society for Threatened People Retain NGO Status in UN, Despite China’s Attempts to Silence Them
The Society for Threatened Peoples has issued a press release expressing concern with the growing influence of authoritarian states in the United Nations, after the Chinese mission had attempted to revoke its NGO status because of an alleged violation of UN rules related to the accreditation of long-time STP member and WUC President Dolkun Isa.
China had considered the accreditation of Dolkun Isa at a UN conference in April as a violation of UN rules and called the human rights activist from Munich a “terrorist.” It constituted an attempt to silence a legitimate human rights activists from raising human rights issue in UN institutions.
After protests by democratic states, China finally withdrew its application on 30 May 2018 from the UN’s NGO committee in New York.
The WUC is very happy that the Society for Threatened Peoples will be able to continue its vital work, advocating on behalf of and providing a voice to oppressed and marginalised people like the Uyghurs.
They should have never been in this situation in the first place and it raises the very serious issue of the growing influence of authoritarian states in the UN and their attempt to silence any criticism of their human rights record.
WUC Condemns the Death in Custody of Yet Another Uyghur Religious Scholar Abdulehed Mehsum
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) condemns the death in custody of yet another Uyghur religious scholar, which was reported by relatives early this week. 88-year old Abdulnehed Mehsum died while being held in a political indoctrination camp in Hotan prefecture in November 2017, though the death was not reported until May 27, 2018.
His death follows an incredibly worrying pattern of abuse of the upwards of one million Uyghurs arbitrarily detained in political indoctrination camps. Only scant information has emerged from the camps, but recent reporting from the Associated Press has confirmed that torture may be widely used.
On account of the recent news, the WUC strongly implores the international community to take immediate action and pressure the Chinese government to immediately close the camps. In particular, Muslim-majority states can no longer remain so silent on such an important issue.
Uyghur Women Disappears After Returning to East Turkistan from Malaysia
A young Uyghur woman who had been studying in Malaysia has reportedly disappeared when she returned home to East Turkistan and is likely currently being arbitrary detained in a ‘re-education’ camp, according to her sister.
Gulgine Tashmemet had been studying abroad at the University of Technology in Malaysia, but over the course of the last year she lost all contact with her family still living in East Turkistan. This prompted her to fly home to Ghulja (in Chinese, Yining) city in East Turkistan’s Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture on Dec. 26 last year. She then disappeared, likely rounded up by Chinese authorities and placed in arbitrary detention in a camp.
Uyghurs who have travelled abroad or have family living outside East Turkistan have been targeted in particular for arbitrary detention. Uyghurs are having their liberty and basic rights taken from them merely for leaving the country or wanting to speak with their families.
Uyghur Civil Servants Jailed for Failing to Send Uyghurs to ‘Re-education’ Camps
Two Uyghur civil servants in East Turkistan have been jailed for failing to send fellow Uyghurs to “political re-education camps,” according to Radio Free Asia, as part of a crackdown by authorities on so-called “two-faced” officials.
Omerjan Hesen, 34, director of archives for the Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian) prefectural government, and Elijan Ahmet, 35, China’s ruling Communist Party secretary of Hotan’s Keriye (Yutian) county government, were handed 11-year jail terms in May last year.