World Uyghur Congress, 4 May 2018

WUC Holds Successful March and Demonstration on 27 April 2018 in Brussels

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) along with its co-organisers, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO), held a successful demonstration in Brussels, Belgium on April 27^th, 2018.

Thousands of Uyghur demonstrators gathered from around the world in Belgium as the Chinese government continued to accelerate its detention of Uyghurs in ‘re-education’ camps in East Turkistan. They assembled at Square de Meeus and marched through the heart of the European Union, loudly calling on the European institutions and the international community to speak out against China and demanding the immediate release of their friends, relatives and the 1 million Uyghurs arbitrarily detained in so-called ‘re-education’ camps by the Chinese government.

The march ended at Schuman roundabout, where the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European External Action Service, the EU’s foreign policy wing, were located. The Uyghur community then held a static demonstration, delivering speeches and collectively calling on the institutions of the European Union to do something to help the Uyghur people.

WUC Recognises the Vital Work of Journalists on World Press Freedom Day

In recognition of World Press Freedom Day, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) issued a press release celebrating the journalists around the world who put themselves at considerable risk to report on the human rights conditions in China. As China continues to hide its crimes against the Uyghurs from the rest of the world, it is so important that a free press continues to uncover the reality of the situation.

Freedom of the press is essential to the maintenance of any democratic and free society and the protection of our basic rights, but this has increasingly come under threat in China and abroad. Sadly, freedom of the press is non-existent in China and journalists who report in the country are subjected to strict censorship, harassment, intimidation and severe punishment for themselves and their families, merely for reporting the truth.

WUC President, Dolkun Isa, marked the day saying that: “The WUC would like to celebrate the crucial work of these journalists in shining a light on the many human rights abuses being committed against the Uyghurs by the Chinese government.” Isa continued, stating that, ”Without regular reporting on China’s repressive policies, the Uyghur people would be suffering in darkness.”

WUC Submits Parallel Report for China’s Upcoming Universal Periodic Review

The World Uyghur Congress submitted a parallel report to be considered ahead of China’s 3rd Cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in November 2018. The report outlines the most pressing concerns for the Uyghur population in China over the last five years and provides concrete recommendations for China and for the international community. It also shows China’s concerning regression in almost all aspects of human rights, since its last UPR five years ago.

Uyghur Community to Celebrate Doppa Day on May 5th

The Uyghur community around the world will celebrate Doppa Day on May 5th. The Doppa Festival began in May 2010 to celebrate Uyghur culture and as a means of facilitating inter-cultural dialogue following the unrest in Urumqi in July 2009. The day stands as an important marker to celebrate Uyghur cultural identity and to highlight the fact that simple cultural expression has been so drastically curtailed for Uyghurs in East Turkistan today.