SCO Member States Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Prevent Uyghur Activists from Attending Conference in United States
Human Rights in China, 5 May 2011
Human Rights in China (HRIC) is extremely concerned over the recent efforts of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to interfere with the travel of individuals of Uyghur ethnicity to a conference titled “The Future of Uyghur People in East Turkestan.”
Uyghur leaders and activists from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, who planned to travel to Washington, D.C. to attend the conference from May 2 to 8, were reportedly obstructed from leaving their countries by government officials. In Kazakhstan, World Uyghur Congress Vice President Kahriman Ghojamberdi was stopped by customs officials at the airport, who claimed his passport was invalid for travel; and other Uyghur activists were pressured into not attending. In Kyrgyzstan, four Uyghur activists were also prevented from attending the conference; two of them were told that taking this trip would “harm Sino-Kyrgyz relations.”
Such actions by the authorities of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan – taken at the same time and with respect to the same conference concerning Uyghur rights – raise serious questions about the impact of the SCO framework on respect for human rights. Pursuant to SCO agreements, SCO member states are obliged to cooperate on the prevention and control of activity that member state governments deem “terrorist,” “separatist,” or “extremist” in nature – including through cooperation in the field of state border security and customs control.
HRIC calls on SCO member states – including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and Russia – to ensure that any regional cooperation among them complies fully with these states’ international human rights obligations, including respect for freedom of movement, association, and expression.