NEWS

Hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives on the Uyghur Crisis
On May 6, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing on “The Atrocities Against Uyghurs And Other Minorities in Xinjiang”. Mr. Nury Turkel, USCIRF Commissioner and Chairman of the Board Uyghur Human Rights Project, Ms Tursunay Ziyawudun, camp survivor , and Mr. James A. Millward, Professor of Inter-societal History Walsh School of Foreign Service Georgetown University, spoke as witnesses during the hearing. “I am not asking for sympathy for myself. I am asking the world to wake up and take action”, the courageous Tursunay Ziyawudun said in her testimony. 

G7 Minister Meeting Raises the Uyghur Crisis
This week, the Group of 7 (G7) foreign ministers met ahead of the G7 summit in June. In a joint statement on Wednesday, G7 ministers have condemned China’s human rights atrocities, releasing a joint statement in which they said to be “deeply concerned about human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang and in Tibet, especially the targeting of Uyghurs, members of other ethnic and religious minority groups, and the existence of a large-scale network of “political re-education” camps, and reports of forced labour systems and forced sterilisation”.

The Parliament of New Zealand Condemns the Severe Human rights Abuses against the Uyghurs
The New Zealand Parliament has passed a motion that condemns the “severe human rights abuses” in East Turkistan, urging China to “work with all relevant instruments of international law to bring these abuses to an end.” World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa welcomed the motion, and said that though it did not recognize the Uyghur Genocide, it “is still a positive step in the right direction, [… and] we call on other democratic governments to break their silence and recognize China’s Uyghur genocide.”

In the week leading up to the passed motion,, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern already took a tougher stance on China, saying the differences between the two countries were getting “harder to reconcile”. While New Zealand’s increasing criticism is welcome, the WUC highlights that the country needs to do more to address the Uyghur Genocide, starting with recognition. 

WUC Celebrates International Doppa Day
On May 5, the World Uyghur Congress celebrated International Doppa Day by publishing a  video message in which it highlighted the rich and vivid Uyghur culture. At the same time, this day also shines a light on the crackdown on Uyghur culture by the Chinese government, as part of its attempt to erase the Uyghur identity.

Cyberattack on Hearing on the Uyghur Genocide in the Belgian Parliament
On May 5th, the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives was set to hold a hearing, discussing China’s atrocities against the Uyghur people, with scholars, experts, and camp survivor Qelbinur Sidiq providing statements and testimony. The day before the hearing, the WUC in a press release urged the Belgian Chamber to recognize the Uyghur genocide, based on the statements of the hearing, which would also feature WUC’s EU Policy Coordinator, Koen Stoop, who said that “being presented with the overwhelming evidence of China’s atrocities against the Uyghurs, the only logical conclusion to draw for the Belgian Chamber is that China’s actions against the Uyghurs indeed constitute a genocide.”

However, the hearing unfortunately had to be canceled due to a cyberattack affecting over 200 Belgian organizations. In response, the WUC strongly condemned the cyberattack, stating that “the voices of Uyghurs will not be silenced.” The hearing will be rescheduled.

Protest and Press Conference in the Hague
On May 5, Global Human Rights Defence and the World Uyghur Congress held a joint protest in The Hague in front of the Chinese Embassy, demanding the Chinese Government to stop the Uyghur Genocide. The protest was followed by a press conference highlighting the severe atrocities committed by the Chinese government, which are now increasingly recognized to constitute a genocide. The World Uyghur Congress extended its sincere gratitude to Qelbinur Sidiq for sharing her story as a camp survivor at the press conference.

Brother of Radio Free Asia Sentenced to a Lengthy Prison
An Uyghur academic director and translator who is the brother of an Radio Free Asia reporter has been sentenced to a lengthy prison following two years spent in an internment camp in East Turkistan for “religious extremism,” according to officials. Ahmetjan Juma, who was the director of the No.1 Middle School in Kashga’s Kona Sheher county, went missing from Kashgar in 2017. He is also a literary translator and an educational researcher who published several books. 

PARTICIPATE

Petition to Call on the German Bundestag to Recognise Uyghur Genocide
The WUC is calling on the the German Bundestag to recognise the crimes against the Uyghurs as genocide, ahead of its hearing on the 17th of May Sign the petition to help us hold the Chinese government accountable for its crimes of genocide against Uyghurs!

Petition to Urge Airbnb to Withdraw their Sponsoring of the Beijing Olympics
In January, over 190 rights groups sent a joint letter to Airbnb, urging that they use their influence to press the Olympic Committee to move the Beijing Olympic Games or to withdraw their partnership. Airbnb did not reply. Please sign the Petition here!