Press release – For immediate release
30 June 2011
Contact:  World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
Tel. 0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or e-mail [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and its member organizations will stage protest actions around the globe on July 5, 2011 and in the days surrounding July 5^th to commemorate the second anniversary of one of the saddest and most tragic days in the history of the Uyghur people and of East Turkestan and to ensure that the world does not forget about the devastating plight of the Uyghur people. Demonstrations and other actions will take place in: Canada, Turkey, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, Kazakhstan, Japan, UK, United States, India and Switzerland. A detailed action calendar can be downloaded here.

On July 5, 2009, Chinese security forces brutally suppressed a peaceful protest by Uyghurs in Urumqi, the regional capital of East Turkestan, and killed an untold number of protesters.  Ethnic unrest and violence followed, as well as one of the Chinese government’s fiercest and most repressive crackdowns on Uyghurs in history.

The human rights violations that the Chinese authorities have perpetrated against the Uyghurs in the aftermath of the July 2009 incidents have included but have not been limited to: mass and arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances of Uyghurs (including of minors); arbitrary sentencing of Uyghurs to death, life, and various jail terms after trials plagued with intense politicization and strangleholds on due process; arbitrary executions; and intensified repression of freedom of expression, including but not limited to the detention and sentencing of Uyghur webmasters, bloggers, and journalists.

With its actions, the WUC calls on the international community to support the Uyghurs by participating in one of its demonstrations. In addition, the WUC calls on the on international community to express its disagreement with the Chinese government´s policies towards the Uyghurs.

All together we must urge the People’s Republic of China to:

• Conduct an independent effective investigation into the events of July 2009 to clarify the exact death toll
• Immediately and unconditionally release all those who are only alleged to have protested peacefully on July 5th or who have been held without evidence and to ensure that those accused of cognizable crimes under international and domestic law are afforded due process, not subjected to torture or other forms of ill treatment, tried in an open and fair court, and given access to legal representation of their choice.
• Prove that the Xinjiang trials were conducted according to international standards, including allowing defendants to hire lawyers of their own choosing, allowing them access to their family and lawyers, and informing family members in a timely fashion of detentions, charges and trials.
• To address the root causes of the July 5th protest and the ethnic unrest, including the severe political and religious repression and economic discrimination to which Uyghurs are subjected and the dilution of Uyghurs’ language and culture.

The action calendar can be downloaded here.

For media enquiries please contact:

Dolkun Isa

WUC Secretary General

[email protected]

0049 (0) 89 5432 1999