Press Release – For immediate release
03 August 2022
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) welcomes the visit of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States (U.S.) House of Representatives, to Taiwan. The visit is an important show of support for human rights and democracy at a time where these are at an all-time low in China, considering the crimes against humanity and genocide being perpetrated against the Uyghur people, as well as grave human rights violations against Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and others.

“Nancy Pelosi’s visit is an important demonstration of leadership to defend democracy and human rights globally”, WUC President, Dolkun Isa said. “It is exactly this kind of leadership that is needed in the face of the Chinese government’s atrocity crimes and expanding aggression against democracy and human rights.”

In a Washington Post opinion piece released yesterday, Pelosi set out the reasons for her visit, highlighting the U.S.’ commitment to democracy, human rights, and freedoms. She denounced  “the CCP’s brutal crackdown against Hong Kong’s political freedoms and human rights”, its “campaign to erase the Tibetan people’s language, culture, religion and identity”. She further stated that “Beijing is perpetrating genocide against Uyghurs”. 

Indeed, the Uyghur people recognize the visit’s significance, as the situation in East Turkistan is exemplary of what can happen when the world stands idly by while the Chinese government crushes human rights and democracy. For the Uyghur people this has deteriorated into an ongoing genocide; for the people of Taiwan, the Chinese government’s has proceeded with gravely threatening Taiwan as a free democracy. 

The WUC calls upon other world leaders to take notice of Pelosi’s visit, and make a similar stand for human rights and freedoms, both for the people of Taiwan as well as Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and others. The Uyghur genocide should serve as a strong reminder of the consequences of the international community choosing silence and appeasement over bold action.