NEWS

WUC President Speaks at 47th Regular Session of UN Human Rights Council
On the 28th of June, WUC President Dolkun Isa spoke during the Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide at the 47th regular session of the Human Rights Council. Mr. Isa called to mobilize efforts and take effective actions to respond to the situation where people are at risk of atrocity crimes. In line with its efforts to silence Uyghurs, the Chinese Mission raised a point of order to prevent Mr. Isa from speaking. The WUC thanks the UK Mission in Geneva for their intervention to defend civil society participation at the Human Rights Council.

Uyghur Rights Advocate Nury Turkel Receives First Notre Dame Prize for Religious Liberty
On June 28th, the Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Initiative honored prominent Uyghur-American attorney and human rights advocate Nury Turkel with the first Notre Dame Prize for Religious Liberty. Nury Turkel and his family were subjected to horrors as many Uyghurs who have courageously refused to abandon their Muslim faith and culture despite severe oppression from the Chinese Communist Party. Nury Turkel is now a U.S.-educated attorney and leading human rights advocate appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

WUC Organizes Webinar on the Occasion of the CCP’s 100th Anniversary
On July 1st, the WUC organized a two-panel webinar on the occasion of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) 100th anniversary, titled #CPC100: A Century of Oppression, Nothing to Celebrate. The first panel convened leaders and representatives from the Uyghur, Tibetan, Hong Konger, Taiwanese and Chinese communities, who shared common experiences of the erosion of their human rights and fundamental freedoms. The second panel brought together policy makers from national and European parliaments to discuss policy responses to China’s human rights violations at home and its repressive influence abroad. Several policy areas of importance were highlighted by the speakers, including the EU’s response to Uyghur forced labour, the danger that bilateral extradition treaties with China poses for exiled communities, as well as the Beijing Winter Olympics.

French Prosecutors Open Inquiry Against Four Fashion Groups over Forced Labour Allegations 
On July 2nd, Reuters reported that French prosecutors have opened a legal inquiry against four fashion groups (Inditex, Uniqlo, SMCP, and Skechers) over allegations they profited from Uyghur forced labour. Magistrates at the national anti-terror prosecutor’s office in Paris will probe claims the multinational companies are complicit in crimes against humanity. The inquiry follows from a complaint, which was endorsed by the WUC, lodged in April by the anti-corruption group Sherpa, the French branch of the Clean Clothes Campaign, and the Uyghur Institute of Europe, as well as by an Uyghur camp survivor.

WUC Expresses Gratitude to Outgoing German Ambassador to the UN  
On July 1st, the WUC issued a press release expressing its gratitude to outgoing Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations, Christoph Heusgen, for his staunch support of the WUC and the plight of the Uyghurs during his time as UN envoy.  “I cannot thank Mr. Heusgen enough for all the incredible work that he has done at the United Nations in the past four years, in particular for peoples who are suffering from human rights violations and oppression”, said WUC President Dolkun Isa. “I will forever be grateful for his efforts to promote Uyghur human rights, as well as to defend my rightful participation at the United Nations.” The WUC looks forward to closely working together with the upcoming Ambassador, to continue to raise the Uyghur crisis at the UN fora.

Ukraine Withdraws Support for UN Statement after Chinese Pressure
On 24th of June, Associated Press News reported that Ukraine withdrew its support of a statement at the United Nations criticizing the human rights atrocities against Uyghurs, after Chinese authorities warned Kyiv that they would block a planned shipment of COVID-19 vaccines. Ukraine had briefly joined a statement by over 40 countries, presented by Canada at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 22.

PARTICIPATE

International Religious Freedom Summit 2021
On July 13-15, 2021 in Washington D.C., the WUC is a partner organization supporting the International Religious Freedom Summit 2021. The IRF created a powerful coalition of organizations that operate together for the cause of religious freedom around the world, increasing public awareness and political strength for the international religious freedom movement.