Press Release – For immediate release
17 April 2020
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
+49 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The WUC is deeply concerned and disturbed by reports that the Chinese government has restarted its practice of testing nuclear weapons at Lop Nur in East Turkistan. The U.S. State Department has alleged that the Chinese government has been carrying out underground tests of nuclear weapons at Lop Nur. Not only would this violate the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) of which China is signatory, but also puts millions of Uyghurs and living in East Turkistan at risk of serious side-effects.

The testing of nuclear weapons in Lop Nur has a long and painful history for the Uyghur people. From 1964 until 1996, the Chinese government conducted many nuclear tests at Lop Nur, the after effects of which continue to affect the Uyghur population in significant numbers. From 1964-1996, 46 confirmed nuclear detonations have taken place at Lop Nur in East Turkistan, and 23 underground tests were undertaken, including thermonuclear blasts, neutron bombs and an atomic bomb.

It is estimated that the radiation affected 1.2 – 1.43 million people during and after testing. Doctors and researchers have noted a significant increase in the rate of cancer and related afflictions in Uyghurs as a result. Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the nuclear tests range from 194,000 to 750,000 and a British investigation in 1997 determined that the likelihood of contracting cancer is 30% higher in the XUAR compared to the rest of China.

The destructive legacy of the nuclear tests in Lop Nur have caused suffering and death for multiple generations in East Turkistan. The fact that the CCP decided to carry out these tests in East Turkistan, less than 145km from major cities including Urumqi, Turpan, Qumul and Korla, shows the blatant disregard for the health and well-being of the Uyghur people. After all the devastation caused by over 30 years of nuclear testing in East Turkistan, the fact that the Chinese government has allegedly restarted nuclear testing, in the middle of a global pandemic, speaks volumes about its treatment of the Uyghur people and indifference towards their lives and health.

“Nuclear testing from the Chinese government in Lop Nur in East Turkistan from 1964-1996 affected millions of Uyghurs and has left a legacy of destruction and discrimination,” WUC President Dolkun Isa stated. “The fact that the Chinese government is reportedly restarting this destructive practice speaks to the CCP’s complete indifference to Uyghur lives, health and well-being.”

The Chinese government is committing crimes against humanity against Uyghurs, arbitrarily detaining millions of innocent people in camps, transferring thousands of Uyghurs to forced labour facilities, leaving Uyghurs vulnerable to coronavirus infection, destroying Uyghur culture and identity and denying Uyghurs their most basic rights and freedoms. Instead of stopping this horrific repression, the Chinese government seems to be finding new and deadly ways to repress the Uyghur people.

The resumption of nuclear testing in East Turkistan will also have serious implications for the environment in East Turkistan and further demonstrate the CCP’s willingness to push the negative effects of its destructive policies on its neighbors and vulnerable populations. Due to nuclear testing and extractive industries, environmental degradation has accelerated dramatically in East Turkistan and Tibet. Elsewhere the Chinese government has dammed the Mekong River and has systematically been withholding water from other nations downriver, causing droughts in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Chinese government’s disregard for the environment and well-being of its citizens and neighbors have major impacts on the health and well-being for everyone.

The WUC calls on the international community to demand that China stop any nuclear testing in East Turkistan. China must be held accountable for its inhuman and destructive policies. The suffering and escalating repression of the Uyghur people should stand as a warning to the international community and a sign of this to come if the Chinese government is not held accountable.