World Uyghur Congress, 22 February 2019

WUC Highlights Attempts To Erode Uyghur Language On International Mother Language Day

On International Mother Language Day, the WUC published a press release that highlights the dire situation of the Uyghur language, as policies from the Chinese government have sought to erode and undermine its use.

The Uyghur language continues to be suppressed with efforts over the two last years amounting to an outright ban of the language as a medium of instruction in schools affecting millions of students.

Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa emphasized that, “As the Chinese government strives to systematically socially reengineer the Uyghur people, using the unique Uyghur language becomes an important way of keeping Uyghur identity and culture alive.”

The WUC fears that if nothing changes, the younger generation of Uyghurs still living in East Turkistan will be cut off from their mother-tongue and their culture. This would not only lead to a ‘sinification’ of the Uyghur people, but the world would lose a truly unique language and culture. It would sever the ties between the Uyghur people, between older and younger generations and between those in East Turkistan and the diaspora.

WUC Representatives Met with Turkish Organisations In Germany

From February 19-21, World Uyghur Congress president Dolkun Isa along with the Director of the Committee for Religious Affairs Turghunjan Alawdun and Treasurer Abdujelil Emet together visited Turkish organisations in Köln, Frankfurt and Nuremberg to report on current Uyghur issues.

WUC representatives met with the president of the Union of International Democracy Bülent Bilgi, United Film Studies workers and Nizam-i Alem Ocagi to discuss future collaborations to bring greater attention to the Uyghur human rights crisis.

Turkish communities in Europe have been actively involved in Uyghur human rights advocacy and collaborating with Uyghur community to demonstration against the Chinese governments crack down on Uyghur Muslims in East Turkistan.

U.S. Biotech Company Stops Selling DNA Equipment To China

China’s heavy surveillance effort in East Turkistan also includes collecting DNA samples as part of a health program. Human Rights Watch said in late 2017 that Thermo Fisher, a U.S. based biotechnology giant was supplying some of the DNA sequencers for this project but was told that the company “could not possible monitor the use or application of all products we manufactured.”

This week, the biotech giant told the Wall Street Journal that it has taken account of “fact-specific assessments,” and that it recognizes “the importance of considering how our products and services are used—or may be used—by our customers.” Therefore, they have decided to stop selling genetic sequencing equipment in East Turkistan.

The change in Thermo Fisher’s attitude towards the issue comes after the involvement of U.S. Politicians like Senator Marco Rubio who pushed for a crackdown on the use of American technology in human rights violations by Chinese authorities.

Uyghur Detainees Being Transferred to Southern Mongolia & Sichuan province

According to RadioFree Asia’s recent report, Chinese officials confirmed that Uyghur detainees in political indoctrination camps are being sent to prisons in Southern Mongolia & Sichuan province adding to the growing list of locations detainees are being secretly transferred to.

In October last year, RFA’s Uyghur Service reported that Chinese authorities had begun covertly sending detainees to prisons in Heilongjiang province and other parts of China to address an “overflow” in overcrowded camps. Earlier this month, RFA spoke to officials in both Shaanxi province and neighbouring Gansu province, who confirmed that Uyghur and other Muslim detainees from East Turkistan had been sent to prisons there, although they were unable to provide specific numbers or dates for when they had been transferred.

The WUC urgently asks international observers to be allowed into the region to investigate the situation in East Turkistan to stop the Chinese authorities continuing attempts to obfuscate the scale of detentions of Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups in the region.