World Uyghur Congress, 03 April 2020

Photo: Nicole Tung for NPR

The current COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of us, particularly the most vulnerable members of our community.

Due to the initial mismanagement, censorship and lack of transparency about the virus by the Chinese Communist Party, the entire world is now facing a pandemic. Every government around the world is taking various steps and creating different emergency funds to provide financial support to its own citizens, but many people are still being left behind.

As the situation in East Turkistan regarding the COVID-19 remains highly obscure, the lives of millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic ethnic groups inside the internment camps have been put in danger. Uyghurs living in the diaspora are also facing severe challenges. In Turkey, there are between 40,000 – 50,000 Uyghurs. A large portion of them are without a passport or permanent residency, rendering them stateless, including more than 2,000 students, over 1,000 orphans and 1,000 single mothers who have been separated from their husbands and families due to China’s rigorous crackdown on Uyghurs.

This pandemic has added further misery to their daily struggles; many are not able to pay rent or utility bills and they cannot afford medical care or the basic cost of living. In Pakistan, there are over 100 Uyghur families; and Uyghurs in Central Asia and other parts of the world are also facing similar challenges. They have not received adequate aid or attention and their situation continues to deteriorate. They need help from those more fortunate than themselves.

To address these challenges, the World Uyghur Congress and thirty Uyghur organizations held an urgent meeting to discuss the dire situation facing Uyghur refugees around the world, and have come to an agreement to set up a temporary ‘’Coronavirus Emergency Fund for Uyghur Refugees’’.

We are reaching out to the Uyghurs living in different parts of the world, the Uyghur organizations and associations, the international humanitarian organizations, and to all individuals for their generous financial contribution.

As we are practicing social distancing and self-isolation, we must remember that these privileges are not available to everyone. There are thousands of orphans, students and mothers separated from their husbands and families, many of whom are stateless living in extreme circumstances of poverty during this pandemic. We call for everyone to come together and help the Uyghur refugees to get through these critically hard times. Every cent of your donation will be used to support Uyghur refugees in critical situation around the world. WUC commits to financial transparency and accountability.

While the Chinese government has made it impossible to give direct assistance and aid to our friends, family and countrymen in East Turkistan, we all have a responsibility to help all those who have managed to escape the crisis and need our help.

You can donate through bank transfer or Paypal. Please provide your information to receive a receipt. On behalf of the World Uyghur Congress, we would like to thank all those who give donations for their compassion and generosity.

Bank Transfer

Account Name: Uighurisches Zentrum für Demokratie und Menschenrechte e.V.
Full Address: Schillingstr.12, 10179, Berlin, Germany
Bank Name: Berliner Sparkasse
Bank Address: Alexanderpl.2, 10178, Berlin, Germany
Account Number: 0190-8871-50
SWIFT/BIC: BELADEBEXXX
IBAN: DE42-1005-0000-0190-8871-50

PayPal
[email protected]

Dolkun Isa
President
World Uyghur Congress