World Uyghur Congress, 13 March 2020

Uyghur Crisis Raised by NGOs and States During Item 4 Debate at UN Human Rights Council

On March 10, Ryan Barry delivered an oral statement on behalf of the European Union of Jewish Students during Item 4 of the General Debate at  the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. In his statement he expressed his disappointment about the response of the international community to the human rights crisis in East Turkistan. 

“This issue has become a litmus test for the UN and the international community’s commitment to human rights, one that we are failing miserably” he said. “We have wondered how those in the past could have possibly looked the other way while atrocities were being committed, but this is exactly what is happening now. After every great tragedy the UN and the international community say “never again” but when will they actually mean it”, he added. He also emphasized that China was undermining human rights in the UN and that the crisis in East Turkistan is having significant impacts for the international community, not just the Uyghur people.

During the Item 4  General Debate, the EU and several states made a strong joint statement expressing their grave about the internment camps, forced labour and other serious human rights violations occurring in East Turkistan, and called on China to admit independent observers with unfettered access to the region. Seven other states (Finland, Netherlands, Australia, Czech Republic, Germany, France and UK) separately raised their deep concerns about China’s gross human rights violations in East Turkistan during their Item 4 statements. In its item 4 statement Germany said: “In China the unlawful mass detention, torture and massive infringement of civil, political and religious rights in the Autonomous Regions of Xinjiang and Tibet must end immediately”. 

On March 11, the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues published a report on children of linguistic minorities. According to this report, “Children of linguistic minorities must be taught in their own language where possible to achieve inclusive and quality education and to respect the human rights of all children.” Many Uyghur children are sadly being denied to learn in their native language. In January 2018, 4 UN Special Rapporteurs issued a communication to China on its ban of the Uyghur language in schools in the Hotan prefecture.

WUC Joins Coalition of Human Rights NGOs to call on Norweigan Oil fund to divest from Hickvision and Dahua

On March 12, WUC together with five other human rights organizations called in an open letter addressed to the Norway Oil Fund to divest from Hikvision and Dahua. The Government Pension Fund of Norway, better known as the Norway Oil Fund, has invested in Chinese technology companies Hikvision Digital Technology and Zhejiang Dahua Technology, which provided the technology to surveill and assimilate Uyghurs in East Turkistan and are complicit in serious and systematic human rights violations. The joint letter and accompanying press release called on the Fund to respect its own and international standards and to no longer profit from the suffering of Uyghurs.

WUC President Participates in Panel at Oxford Union

On March 11, WUC President Dolkun Isa and WUC head of the office in London Rahima Mahmut spoke at a panel on the topic “The Uyghur People: Voices of the Forgotten” hosted by Oxford Union at Oxford University. Furthermore, Tiananmen movement leader and Uyghur Wu’er Kaixi and Uyghur activists Nury Turkel participated in the panel. They both discussed the deteriorating situation in East Turkistan, the dangers posed by the coronavirus and sought to give a voice to those affected by the crimes against humanity being persecuted by the Chinese government.

The Holocaust Museum – Chinese persecution of the Uyghurs a “Crimes Against Humanity”

On March 05, US Holocaust Museum labeled the persecution of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities as a “Crime against Humanity”.  The Holocaust Museum hosted an event entitled “China’s Systematic Persecution of Uyghurs” with political and civil society representatives. 

In her speech Naomi Kikoler, director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, said “Every government has committed to protect their populations from crimes against humanity. In this case, there is a reasonable basis to believe that the Chinese government is failing in this regard, and they are committing the crimes against humanity of persecution and imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty”.

The estimation of the human rights crisis in East Turkistan as human crime by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum could lead to further legal action in an international court of law. 

US Lawmakers Propose Legislation to Hold Accountable Companies That Are Using Forced Uyghur Labour

On March 11, US lawmaker proposed a law which bans most imports from East Turkistan as a reaction to the reports from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute about Uyghurs forced labour. The proposed legislation would put the burden of proof on companies to show that they were not using forced labour from Uyghurs or others in East Turkistan in the production of their products. The WUC welcomes the initiative to stop forced labour in East Turkistan and seeks and end to the suffering of the Uyghur people. The Chinese government has been transferring some detainees from the camps to forced labour facilities and this legislation may help to stop this cycle of repression and dehumanisation.

WUC opens office in Washington D.C.

On March 4, WUC was happy to open their new office in Washington D.C. and to celebrate it with representatives from political and civil society. At the WUC reception speeches were held by WUC president Dolkun Isa, Ms. Sayragul Saubatay, Mr. Omer Kanat, Mr. Kuzzat Altay, Mr. Nury Turkel, Ms. Hena Zuberi, Ms. Louisa Greve and Senator Paul Strauss. The new office will help the WUC to further its advocacy activities in the US and better coordinate with activists, think tanks and officials in joint efforts to close the camps and ensure human rights and freedom for Uyghurs.

WUC Shows Participate in Rallies Around the World in Solidarity with Tibetans 

On March 10th, the 61st anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising, rallies were held around the world in solidarity with Tibetans. WUC representatives spoke at rallies and events in different cities in a show of support and solidarity between the two communities. WUC president Dolkun and head of the office in London Rahima Mahmut attended an event in London, where Mr. Isa called for more cooperation and solidarity between Uyghurs and Tibetans. Furthermore, WUC representatives Gheyyur Kuerban, Zumretay Arkin and Mehmet Tohti spoke at rallies in Berlin, Copenhagen and Toronto. 

WUC meets with representatives of the Danish Parliament 

On March 12, WUC project manager Zumretay Arkin met with members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Foreign Policy Committee of the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen.

She raised the latest developments in the region, where Uyghurs are now subjected to forced labour. She also addressed the threat of Coronavirus in the camps, and the challenges faced by Uyghur human rights activists in the diaspora. 

WUC attends the 2020 One World Film Festival

On 6 March, the Head of WUC Berlin Office Gheyyur Kuerban participated in a debate following the screening of a new documentary film about the internment camps produced by Voxpot at the 2020 One World Film Festival in Prague, which is the largest human rights film festival in the world.