Event Announcement – For Immediate Release
26 April 2022
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
+49 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

On may 13th, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and other Europe-based Uyghur organisations will organise a protest in Geneva, Switzerland. In partnership with Tibetan and other international human rights organisations, the WUC will call upon the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, to release without further delay her report on the situation in East Turkistan and consult Uyghur groups in the diaspora and camp survivors ahead of her planned visit, next month.

“We have been waiting for the release of the High Commissioner’s report since September. Why has it been delayed?’’WUC President, Dolkun Isa, said. “We are calling on Ms. Bachelet to consult with Uyghur representatives in exile beforehand, and listen to the voices of those who have experienced extreme suffering as a result of China’s policies.”

This visit is important, but it cannot be done based on the conditions set by the Chinese government. It has to be of an investigative nature and unfettered access must be given. This includes access to the concentration camps where millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and others are arbitrarily detained. Michelle Bachelet must be able to speak with individuals privately, without any State supervision. The visit should not take place if these conditions are not met. 

The WUC has consistently called upon the High Commissioner to release her report. In March 2022, the WUC signed a joint letter with almost 200 organisations calling up the High Commissioner to release the report without further delay, and brief members and observers of the UN Human Rights Council on its contents as a matter of urgency. Furthermore, on April 19th, the WUC and 59 other groups published a joint statement laying out core preconditions to be met by the High Commissioner in order to have a credible and independent visit to China.

In line with these demands, on April 25th, four camp survivors started a one-week protest in Geneva, calling on the High-Commissioner to meet with them ahead of her visit to East Turkistan, and to publish her report on the situation. The WUC will reiterate these calls on May 13th, and asks civil society organisations and allies of Uyghurs to support us by joining the protest or contribute financially.

The details protest are as follows:

May 13th, 2022
09:00 – 10:00 Gathering at the Broken Chair
10:00 – 11:00 Marching towards Palais Wilson
11:00 – 13:00 Protest in front of Palais Wilson
13:00 End of the protest