NEWS

European Parliament Passes Genocide Resolution, Uyghur Friendship Group Holds First Event
On June 9th, the European Parliament passed a historic resolution recognising the Chinese government’s actions against the Uyghur people as crimes against humanity and represent a “serious risk of genocide”. The resolution highlights the obligations of the EU and its member states under the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide “to put an end to these atrocities and ensure responsibility for the crimes committed”.

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) also welcomed the passing of another resolution in the European Parliament today, on a new trade instrument to ban products made by forced labour. The resolution sets out strong recommendations to the European Commission ahead of the latter’s proposal for an instrument to ban the imports of forced labour products onto the EU market, expected in September.

On June 7th, ahead of the passed resolutions, the recently re-established Uyghur Friendship Group in the European Parliament held its very first event. Co-chairs Raphaël Glucksmann and David Lega, and vice-chairs Engin Eroglu and Markéta Gregorová, organised a roundtable discussion with Dr. Adrian Zenz on the Xinjiang Police Files and his upcoming research on Uyghur forced labour. The event was well-attended by other MEPs, as well as WUC President Dolkun Isa and EU Representative Koen Stoop.

Academics and Rights Groups Scrutinise UN Rights Chief Visit to China
On June 8, the WUC joined 230 human rights organisations in a statement asking for the resignation of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in light of her visit to China allowing the whitewashing of the Uyghur genocide. The signatories called on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres not to propose the renewal of her mandate and for the immediate release of the long-overdue report on human rights in East Turkistan. The statement also focused on her failure to denounce human rights abuses in Tibet, Southern Mongolia and Hong Kong.

On the same day, 39 scholars on East Turkistan and Uyghur studies published an open letter in LeMonde, expressing their dissatisfaction over how the UN High Commissioner ignored  and contradicted the academic findings she was presented with ahead of her visit to China and East Turkistan.

“Early Warning System” – New Report on Uyghur Forced Labour
On June 5th, a new report by German researcher Adrian Zenz highlighted worrying trends in the forced labour system put in place by authorities in East Turkistan. The report found that in 2021, over 3 million Uyghurs were subjected to forced labour programs, a drastic increase compared to the year before. As part of the current Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), there is an “Early Warning System” set in place, tracking household incomes and forcing families with less than a certain income to enter forced labour transfer schemes. Over 774,000 houses were added to this system in 2021 alone, and are constantly monitored in real-time. This is yet another example of the Chinese government’s attempt to downplay mass human rights violations by claiming that they are part of “poverty-alleviation efforts”. 

WUC Commemorates Tiananmen Square Massacre
On June 3rd, which marked the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, the WUC stood in solidarity with the thousands of Chinese protesters in Beijing who called for democracy and respect for human rights, and commemorated those who were killed by subsequent crackdown by the Chinese authorities. “Thirty-three years ago, the Chinese Communist Party killed thousands of students demanding democracy. Today, the CCP has interned millions of Uyghurs in concentration camps in East Turkistan. The world must wake up and hold the CCP to account for its past and ongoing crimes,’’ said WUC President, Dolkun Isa.

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Ask Saudi authorities to halt Uyghur deportations to China

Buheliqiemu Abula, her 13-year-old daughter, Nuermaimaiti Ruze and Aimidoula Waili are still facing the serious risk of deportation to China. Amnesty International is leading an “Urgent Action” through which individuals can reach out to the Saudi authorities to demand compliance with international law and cancel these deportations. Sign the call here!