WEEKLY BRIEF, 11 FEBRUARY 2022
NEWS
The 25th Anniversary of the Ghulja Massacre
On February 5, the World Uyghur Congress commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Ghulja Massacre, during which thousands of Uyghurs who took part in a peaceful protest were arrested, wounded, or killed by the Chinese security forces.As the world is focusing on the Beijing Olympics, the WUC remembers the victims of these events, and calls upon the international community to take steps so that atrocities like this will not happen again. “25 years ago, the Ghulja massacre was exemplary of the treatment of the Uyghur people by the Chinese authorities and its crackdown on freedom of expression and assembly”, WUC President, Dolkun Isa, said.
I Will Not Watch Campaign
With the start of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, human rights activists have started the #IWillNotWatch campaign, which aims to offer alternative viewings of films, books, music, podcasts and other information on East Turkistan, Tibet and Hong Kong. The activists from the No Bejing 2022 coalition have also organised an alternative opening ceremony on February 4th to highlight the ongoing genocide and atrocity crimes committed by the Chinese government. Finally, the activists are also offering live performances from Uyghur, Tibetan and Hong Kong artists in-exile.
Campaign for Uyghurs and the Uyghur Human Rights Project : the Nobel Peace Prize Nomination
The World Uyghur Congress congratulates two of its affiliate organizations: Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU)and the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP)for their recent nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. These two Uyghur organizations, based in the United States have been consistently advocating for the rights of the Uyghur people. CFU, led by prominent activist, Rushan Abbas whose sister has been abducted by the Chinese government as a retaliation for her activism has worked diligently to raise awareness about the genocidal policies of the Chinese government. UHRP, led by Omer Kanat, one of the co-founders of the WUC, and its current Executive-Chairman has done remarkable work highlighting the Uyghur genocide through breakthrough research.
From Kashgar To Liège : Tons of Products Made by Forced Labour
On February 10, l’Echo reported on the import of 75 tons of products that have directly arrived at the Belgian city of Liège from Kashgar. Samuel Cogolati, the Belgian MP, says that over the past years, Kashgar has been the one of the most aggressive high-tech surveillance areas of the 21st century and the absence of legislation on the import of products suspected of being made with forced labour is ”scandalous”. The Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region called the European Commission to finalize the proposed import ban on products made by forced labour and on leading companies to ensure that they are not supporting or benefiting from the pervasive and extensive forced labour of the Uyghur population and other Turkic and Muslim-majority peoples, perpetrated by the Chinese government.
WUC Program & Advocacy Manager Speaks on ARD Live from Mainz
WUC Program & Advocacy Manager, Zumretay Arkin was invited to Mainz to speak on the Olympics in Beijing, and the ongoing human rights abuses and genocide of the Uyghurs and other Turkic people in East Turkistan. She pointed out that these games were used by Beijing to sportswash its human rights record.
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