Weekly Brief: June 15
World Uyghur Congress, 15 June 2018
WUC Commemorates the 30 Year Anniversary of the 1998 Uyghur Student Protests
The World Uyghur Congress commemorates the 30th anniversary of Uyghur student protests in Urumqi on June 15th, 1988. The protests themselves stood as an early reaction to Chinese policies in the 1980s that openly discriminated against the Uyghur students in particular, and one of the first large-scale public responses to discriminatory policies against Uyghurs that many students felt.
The 1988 protests were preceded by large student protests in 1985 that saw around 20,000 Uyghur students take to the streets over discriminatory education policies, birth control policies, the effects of nuclear testing in the Lop Nur region, a lack of genuine autonomy and representation in government and employment opportunities.
Much of what Uyghurs witnessed during and after these protests can be seen as the start of renewed campaign by the Chinese government to gradually erode the very identity and collective energy of the Uyghur people. What began as policies designed to gently assimilate has led to what we see today: the unlawful detention of upwards of one million Uyghurs in political indoctrination camps.
Throughout the year that marks the 30th anniversary of the Uyghur student protests, the World Uyghur Congress will be uncovering many of the untold stories from activists and observers who witnessed the events that initiated China’s repressive policies as well as much of the activism that we see in response to it today.
Today, the Uyghur community in Germany will be demonstrating outside the Chinese General Consulate to mark the 30 years anniversary of the Uyghur student democratic movement in Urumchi in 1988.
The WUC Notes the Passing of Ayman Memet, Mother of WUC President Dolkun Isa
It is with our deepest sadness and sympathies, that we note the passing of Ayxan Memet, mother of WUC President, Dolkun Isa, who passed away on May 17th, 2018, at the age of 78.
News only reached family members outside of East Turkistan early this morning, June 11th, nearly a full month later, making worse already tragic circumstances. Mr. Isa has not been able to see his mother or any other family members for the past 24 years after he was forced to flee the country in 1994 and has not been able to communicate with his parents for over a year. Mrs. Memet, born in 1940 in Aksu prefecture, East Turkistan, was under very close surveillance for more than two decades and wished that she would be able to see her son one last time, but the wish would not be realised.
Mrs. Memet was silently supportive of the work of her son throughout his activism, beginning in 1987 when Isa began advocating for the education rights for all Uyghurs. Mrs. Memet and countless other mothers like her must be remembered and recognised for giving everything to the cause and asking nothing in return.
We wish that she may rest in peace and that one day Uyghurs like her will breathe freely.
WUC Celebrates the Importance of Uyghur Language on International Uyghur Langauge Day 2018
On June 15th, the WUC celebrates the unique Uyghur language and its importance to Uyghur culture, history and society, in recognition of International Uyghur Language Day 2018.
Language is an essential part of the social fabric and identity of any people, encapsulating thousands of years history and traditions in spoken and written word. It forms an important bond between the Uyghur people and structures their experience of the world. It ties generations of Uyghurs together with one common thread, uniting the Uyghur diaspora scattered across the world with relatives and countrymen in East Turkestan.
However, the Uyghur language has come under attack from a series of repressive policies introduced by the Chinese government. While efforts to undermine the use of the Uyghur language have been ongoing for decades, we have witnessed a marked escalation in these efforts in the past 5 years.
The WUC therefore recalls the tremendous importance of the freedom to use one’s own mother tongue – something that cannot be denied to millions of Uyghurs in China. We urge the people from around the work to join us in learning about and celebrating the Uyghur language on this day. The international community must speak out about the cultural assimilation and denial of linguistic rights of the Uyghur people.
Disturbing Developments on China’s Mass Arbitrary Detentions of Uyghurs in Indoctrination Camps
More deaths of innocent Uyghurs and other disturbing developments have been reported this week. A 65-year-old Uyghur businessman, Abdulreshit Seley Hajim, died and was buried this week, nine months after he had been detained in a an indoctrination camp. It was reported he had an indentation on his head, indicating he had been struck by a blunt object. He was buried under heavy scrutiny by Chinese policy, with very few of his family members allowed to attend, leading to speculation that Chinese authorities were trying to cover up evidence of torture or other forms of mistreatment, which may have led to his death. These concerns have been compounded by concerning reports indicating that Chinese authorities are constructing “burial management centers” at an increased pace and hiring an additional 50 security personnel to monitor crematorium facilities.
Another death in an indoctrination camp was reported this week, as 37-year-old father of three Abdulahed, died due to high blood pressure because of stress in the camp.
RadioFreeAsia also reported that Chinese authorities in Qaraqash county, in East Turkistan have detained nearly half of the Uyghur population of a village in “political re-education camps,” according to a local official.
As World Cup Begins, Uyghur Professional Footballer Arbitrarily Detained in ‘Re-education’ Camp
As the World Cup beings, we would like to highlight the fact that Erfan Hezim, a 19-year-old Uyghur professional footballer, is detained in a ‘re-education’ camp by the Chinese government, for travelling abroad to play football. He was detained at a market after returning to East Turkistan to visit his family. He was likely detained for visiting the Muslim-majority countries of Malaysia and Dubai, the the capacity of his professional football career. FIFPro, the World Players Union issued a statement on his case.
Western Firms are Profiting from Surveillance Firms Targeting Uyghurs
An excellent article in the Foreign Policy blog has shown how Chinese firms Hikvision & Dahau Technology are profiting by implementing repressive surveillance measures in East Turkistan. They have secured a series of lucrative contracts to implement dense networks of security cameras in order to monitor Uyghurs all across the region. Western firms including Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Fidelity, Vanguard and others have invested heavily in these companies, despite the fact that their business model relies heavily on the repression of the Uyghur people.