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Weekly Brief, 10 February 2023

Weekly Brief, 10 February 2023

NEWS

WUC Denounces UK and EU Meetings with “XUAR” Chairman Erkin Tuniyaz
On February 9th, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) strongly condemned plans by the European Union and the United Kingdom to meet with Erkin Tuniyaz, Chairman of the  “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”. The U.K.’s Foreign Office is set to meet him next week, after which Tuniyaz will reportedly visit Brussels from 19-21 February for a discussion with EU representatives. Tuniyaz is one of the leading actors in the Uyghur genocide, and has been sanctioned by the United States in 2021 for his complicity.

“Engagement must have its limits. Meeting and greeting Chinese Communist party officials that have been accused of direct involvement in the implementation of genocidal policies, including mass forced sterilisations and concentration camps, must be a red line”, WUC’s UK Director Rahima Mahmut told The Guardian.

“I was appalled to learn that we’ve been invited to meetings ahead of Erkin Tuniyaz’s visit to Europe,” WUC Spokesperson Zumretay Arkin, told Politico. “It is abhorrent that any respectful government invites a perpetrator of genocide to a meeting. It is disrespectful to the Uyghur community worldwide.”

In response to the Tuniyaz’ visit to the United Kingdom, British barrister Michael Polak, acting on behalf of Kazakh camp survivor Erbakit Otarbay, has requested Tuniyaz be prosecuted over his role in atrocities in the region. Similar steps might be taken in Belgium.

Online Tool Published to Search Xinjiang Police Files Records
On February 9th, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation released the Xinjiang Person Search Tool, which allows the public to search over 700,000 personnel records contained in the leaked “Xinjiang Police Files”. The data contained in the files represents the most significant hack of confidential documents from directly inside East Turkistan police computers containing information on the victims of the Uyghur genocide. The Xinjiang Person Search Tool is the largest searchable dataset of persons from East Turkistan, and also features a built-in United Nations Complaint Submission Portal, through which a victim of internment or imprisonment can be directly reported to the UN Special Procedures.

WUC Commemorates 26th Anniversary of the Ghulja Massacre
On February 4th, the WUC commemorated the 26th anniversary of the Ghulja Massacre, during which Chinese security forces arrested, wounded, and killed thousands of peaceful Uyghur protesters. As the freedom of speech and assembly in East Turkistsan have been fully eroded as part of the Uyghur genocide, the WUC reminded the international community of the need to take firm action to restore Uyghur human rights.

“The events in Ghulja in 1997 were a sign on the wall for what would eventually turn into a full-scale genocide”, WUC President, Dolkun Isa, said. “The Chinese government’s attempts to silence Uyghurs now affect every Uyghur person, both in East Turkistan and the diaspora”.

PARTICIPATE

Demonstration in Geneva ahead of CESCR China Review
On February 15th, when the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR) will review China, the WUC and Society for Threatened Peoples are holding a joint rally in Geneva. We demand that the United Nations hold China accountable for the Uyghur Genocide. More information here.

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