REMINDER: WUC Set to Stage International Conference in Geneva

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Press Release – For immediate release
9 March 2013
Contact: World Uyghur Congress http://www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress WUC is pleased to announce that its conference, ‘Human Rights in China: Implications of New Leadership for East Turkestan, Tibet and Southern Mongolia’, will commence on Monday 11 March 2013. The conference is being held in collaboration with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and the Society for Threatened Peoples, and financial support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

The three day conference will begin on Monday 11 March 2013 with remarks during the opening ceremony from a wealth of leading experts on human rights in China. It will take place at the Centre International de Conférence de Genève at the following address:

17 Rue de Varembé

1211 Geneva, Switzerland

WUC President and eminent Uyghur human rights activist Ms Rebiya Kadeer will lead the opening of the conference, closely followed by Italian Senator Marco Perduca, former Croatia Ambassador to the UN Prof Paul Z. Šeparović, NED Vice-President Louisa Coan-Greve, UNPO Secretary-General Marino Busdachin, STP Asia Director Ulrich Delius, UNPO President Ngawang Choephel, President of Initiatives for China Dr Yang Jianli, President of the Inner Mongolia People’s Party Temsel Tu and a video address by Dutch MEP Marietje Schaake.

Attendees to the conference will hear presentations and the opinions and experiences of a wealth of experts, including the Speaker of the Tibet Government in Exile Penpa Tsering, President of the Laogai Foundation Harry Wu, Former Parliament Member of the Tibet Government in Exile Khedroob Thondup, Former WUC President Erkin Alptekin, Secretary-General of Interfaith International Dr Charles Graves, Secretary-General of the Mongolian Freedom Federation Party Dr Olhunud Daichin, Professor of Haifa University Prof Dr Shichor Yitzhak, Director of SMHRIC Enghebatu Togocho, President of Uyghur American Association Alim Seytoff, President of the Federation for a Democratic China Sheng Xue, among others.

Participants will discuss the implications of the Chinese new leadership on the human rights situations facing Uyghurs, Mongolians, Tibetans and Chinese peoples. This will prove to be a timely occasion for all to discuss important human rights issues, such as: the long term impacts of China’s rule on its peoples; witness testimonies of human rights abuses; prospects for change in China’s human rights policy; China’s potential democratic development; the inertia of the international community; empowering human rights activism in China; and establishing a roadmap for future cooperation among peoples.

The timing of the conference falls at the same time and location as the 22nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council. All participants and attendees hope that the international community will take stock of the human rights situations being discussed during the conference, and that they will raise these issues with the People’s Republic of China through all available, diplomatic means.

The WUC welcomes media participation. For media inquiries, please contact us at [email protected] (for German, Chinese, Uyghur and English, +49 179 819 6260) and [email protected] (for English and French, +41 766 675 583).