The visit of Ms. Rebiya Kadeer to Brussels has concluded amid strong public statements of support from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and following productive conversations with the European Commission and leading human rights NGOs. Successive meetings have reaffirmed the support from MEPs for concrete action in response to the Uyghurs’ deteriorating human rights situation in the People’s Republic of China.

Ms. Kadeer, President of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and a leading human rights advocate for the Uyghur people led a WUC delegation to Brussels following an invitation from the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights.  The invitation came after unrest swept East Turkestan in July 2009 as news emerged that Chinese authorities failed to protect Uyghur workers when attacked by mobs in Guangdong Province.  The unrest came after decades of cultural, economic, and religious policies enacted by Beijing that have marginalised and alienated Uyghurs in their own homeland.

Ms. Kadeer’s visit, which began on Tuesday, 1 September 2009, was launched with a public hearing before the Subcommittee on Human Rights, chaired by Ms. Heidi Hautala MEP.  Answering questions from MEPs, Ms. Kadeer called for pressure to be put on Beijing to open a meaningful dialogue with the Uyghur people. MEPs spoke of the need to expose the Uyghurs’ plight to greater worldwide attention and urged Beijing to address the grievances of Uyghurs in East Turkestan without delay.

During the subsequent press conference, Ms. Hautala supported Ms. Kadeer’s desire for an independent investigation on the events of July 2009. Answering questions about China’s unfulfilled promises on East Turkestan autonomy and the ongoing crackdown on Uyghurs since the Urumqi incident, Ms. Kadeer refuted all claims that the World Uyghur Congress pursued a separatist agenda or supported in any way political or religious extremism and reiterated her willingness to engage in dialogue with Beijing.

Meetings held during the week with MEPs from all major party groupings confirmed resolute support for Ms. Kadeer’s stance and widespread admiration for her bravery and resolve in the face of intimidation.  Such intimidation has been directed not only against herself but also those members of her family remaining in China and who currently face destitution.  Leading NGOs and European institutions also expressed their support for Ms. Kadeer and desire to receive more reliable information about the events in East Turkestan than was currently being made available to them by the Chinese authorities.

Ms. Kadeer intends returning to Brussels later this year to provide European institutions with an update on the situation in East Turkestan.  The visit is likely to coincide with discussions over the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and China.

For Rebiya Kadeer’s Statement, please see:http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/droi/dv/droi_20090831_8speechkadeer_/droi_20090831_8speechkadeer_en.pdf