Press Release – For immediate release
8 February 2012
Contact:  World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The Lop Nor testing site, located in East Turkestan (also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), was used for a total of 46 individual nuclear detonations over three decades (1964 – 1996). Since the termination of the tests in 1996 – marked by Beijing’s signature of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty – the environmental and health impact of the radioactive contamination in the area has not yet been addressed.

To raise this urgent need, László Tőkés MEP, in cooperation with Kristiina Ojuland MEP and Vytautas Landsbergis MEP, will convene a conference, ‘50 Years After Test 596: China’s Nuclear Programme in East Turkestan and Its Impact Today’ at the European Parliament in Brussels from 9.30–12.30 on 29 February 2012 in collaboration with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO, www.unpo.org) and the World Uyghur Congress (WUC, www.uyghurcongress.org).

The international conference promises rare information on China’s nuclear policies, the scope of its nuclear weapons tests in East Turkestan, and the consequences of radioactive exposure for people and environment with a particular focus on the disproportionate effects on the Uyghur population. A multi-faceted programme will cover elements of China’s programmes for scientific development as well as social and health policies, which have acquired international significance due to their wide-reaching effects. Expert panellists with a research background in nuclear security will provide an unadorned insight into the legacy of long-standing birth defects, cancer and death, which the local Uyghur community is facing as a consequence.

The conference will provide a constructive discussion on ways to secure meaningful recognition and compensation for the survivors of the Communist Party’s nuclear testing programme conducted in Lop Nor, East Turkestan over three decades, frequently neglected by the international community.

Details of the event:
Wednesday, 29 February 2012, 9.30 – 12.30
Room P7C050, Paul-Henri Spaak Building, European Parliament
60 Rue Wiertz, Brussels, Belgium

Registration is required and must be submitted before 24 February 2012.
Please send your full name, date of birth, place of residence, nationality, organisation to: [email protected]