NEWS

WUC Delegation Visits Berlin / Photo Exhibition 
On October 11th, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) held a photo exhibition in front of the Paul-Löbe-Haus in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition presented the human face of the Uyghur genocide, by means of portraits and details of disappeared and detained Uyghurs, brought to light by the Xinjiang Police Files.

While in Berlin, the WUC delegation led by WUC President Dolkun Isa met with Members of Parliament Thomas Erndl (Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee), Boris Mijatovic, Derya Türk-Nachbaur, Peter Heidt, and Frank Müller-Rosentritt, as well as with the German office of Human Rights Watch.

Civil Society Letter Calls on EU Institutions to Strengthen EU Forced Labour Import Ban Proposal
On October 11th, the WUC Joined 76 civil society groups, coalitions and trade unions calling upon the European Parliament and the EU Council to strengthen the European Commission’s proposal for banning forced labour products in the EU. With regards to state-imposed forced labour, which includes Uyghur forced labour, the proposal fails to explicitly include the scope for bans on entire product groups from a region, such as cotton from East Turkistan. “The text should thus be amended to explicitly include the possibility to establish region-wide bans, and, where relevant, align their scope with forced-labour based sanctions (for example, under the EU global human rights sanctions regime) to ensure legislative coherence, impact and legal certainty for companies”, the statement reads.

WUC & GLAN Submit Letter to Irish Revenue Commission Demanding a Ban on Uyghur Forced Labour Cotton
On October 7th, the WUC and the Global Legal Action Network wrote to the Irish Revenue Commissioners calling for a ban on the importation of cotton goods from East Turkistan. In the letter to the Revenue Commissioners, we outlined the crimes against humanity taking place in the region and the irrefutable connection between Uyghur forced labour and Europe’s fashion industry. As EU law explicitly recognises the prohibition of slavery, servitude, and forced or compulsory labour, as a fundamental human right, and international law prohibits the importation of goods produced under these circumstances, the groups argue that Ireland is obliged to apply its laws governing imports in a manner that respects that prohibition. We await a response from the Irish Revenue Commissioners. As the Irish laws on imports implement EU law, we are prepared to continue the fight in the European courts if necessary.

UK Declares China as Threat
On October 12th, the Telegraph reported that U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss is set to declare China as a “threat” in the following days.  Such a designation would signal a major foreign policy shift in the United Kingdom, which up to now has approached China through a business-minded approach. The WUC welcomed this development, highlighting how it is important that the designation will be followed up by a principled and meaningful response to the Uyghur genocide.

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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 here.