NEWS

WUC applauds passage of M-62 Motion in Canadian Parliament to welcome 10,000 Uyghur Refugees
On February 1st, the Canadian parliament unanimously passed M-62, the first motion of its kind worldwide, which calls on the Canadian government to leverage Canada’s Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program to expedite the entry of 10,000 Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim refugees in need of protection. “This motion sets a very important example of how States can respond to the Uyghur genocide and concretely support Uyghurs refugees at risk in third countries,” said WUC President, Dolkun Isa.

A WUC delegation, led by its president Dolkun Isa, arrived in Canada for a week-long advocacy trip on January 29th and visited Ottawa ahead of the vote to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Immigration Sean Fraser, Minister of Global Affairs Melanie Joly, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra, and Minister of Housing and Social Development Ahmed Hussen, and other high profile parliamentarians, including Sameer Zuberi who introduced the motion on June 20, 2022 as preceded by the Canadian Parliament’s recognition of the Uyghur genocide in February 2021.

WUC Urges Volkswagen to Close Urumchi Plant as CEO Visits China
On January 27th, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), together with the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV), called upon Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume to comment on the role of Uyghur forced labourers in the VW Groups supply chains, as he visits China this week.

Despite clear evidence of forced labour in the global automobile supply chains, VW continues to operate a factory in East Turkistan, in close proximity to the Chinese internment camps. The WUC and GfbV urge that VW must immediately close its plant in Urumchi, as independent audits in the region are no longer possible.

“The VW group must ensure that it does not profit directly or indirectly from the genocide of the Uyghurs and other Turkic people”, WUC President Dolkun Isa commented.  “Mr. Blume must finally take serious and sustained action to ensure that VW’s supply chains are free of Uyghur forced labour.”

WUC UK Director Joins Mediation to Commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day
On January 29th, the WUC UK Director Rahima Mahmut joined a mediation in the West London Synagogue to remember the millions of Jewish people who died during the Holocaust. The mediation was held in commemoration of the International Holocaust Memorial Day, which marks the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945.

Prominent members of the Jewish community and honoured guests lit candles for all victims of the atrocities, as well as the victims of past genocides in Armenia, Rwanda, and Bosnia and the present-day atrocities against the Uyghurs. WUC UK director Rahima  Mahmut lit the 5th candle and performed an Uyghur folk song (tarim) about the Uyghur Forced Labour camps.

US detains Chinese Aluminum from East Turkistan
On February 1st, the US Customs and Border Protection announced on their website that they have started to detain imports of aluminium products coming from East Turkistan, in particular those used in automotive parts. The detention of aluminium falls under the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA), signed into law in 2021 and enforced since June 2022, which prohibits the importation of all goods coming from East Turkistan over Uyghur forced labour concerns.

During the ‘International Religious Freedom Summit’ (IRF) on Tuesday, the Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), who introduced the UFLPA in 2021 urged the U.S. to ensure the full implementation of the law and to “encourage countries around the world to do the same thing”.

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Donate to the World Uyghur Congress and support our efforts to end the Uyghur Genocide
With your donation, we can continue our national, EU and UN advocacy campaigns, provide capacity building for Uyghurs in the diaspora and continue our promotion of human rights, democracy, and religious freedom. Please donate here.

Support Uyghurs’ Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity Case in Argentina
The World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghur Human Rights Project have launched a criminal case in the courts of Argentina in relation to the international crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity being committed against the Uyghur people. Please donate and be a part of this historical case.

Ask Volkswagen to Close its Plant in East Turkistan
Despite growing evidence of the ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs, Volkswagen continues to operate in East Turkistan. The World Uyghur Congress is collecting signatures to demand Volkswagen to close down its plant in Urumqi. Please sign here.