NEWS

World Uyghur Congress Commemorates International Women’s Day 
On March 8, the World Uyghur Congress commemorated International Women’s Day, and shined a light on the often overlooked struggles of Uyghur women, highlighting the cases of Gulmira Imin, Dr. Gulshan Abbas and Dr. Rahile Dawut. Additionally, prominent Uyghur women have called on the international community to demand accountability from China to stop atrocities and gender-based violence, including forced marriages, forced sterilizations, abortions, and sexual abuse against Uyghur women in East Turkistan.

On the same day, the WUC Spokesperson and Director of Global Advocacy, Zumretay Arkin travelled to Paris to attend  the International Women’s Day conference hosted by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. The event was also attended by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, former President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, prominent Yezidi-Kurdish activist Duezen Tekkal, Former President of Amnesty International France, Geneviève Garrigos, Representative of Women of Chadian Diaspora, Merem Mastoura Tahar and Foreign Minister of Mongolia, Battsetseg Batmunkh.

World Uyghur Congress Issues Joint Statement Calling on the EU to Ban Products Made with Forced Labour
On March 12, the World Uyghur Congress together with 36 civil society organisations and trade unions issued a joint statement calling  on the governments of EU Member States to support the EU’s Regulation to prohibit forced labour products, ensuring the legislation enters into force without delay. The provisional agreement is required to be officially approved by the EU Parliament and Council to be enforced. The new legislation bans products made with forced labour from the EU market, aiming to prevent the sale or export of any goods manufactured through forced labour. To aid in enforcing this regulation, the Commission will create a database with up-to-date information on forced labour risks, to assist both the Commission and national competent authorities in identifying potential violations of the regulation.

On March 13, the COREPER (Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the European Union) voted in favour of the Regulation. Next steps will include the EU parliament to approve. 

World Uyghur Congress Among 62 Groups Calling On Service Providers to Leave East Turkistan
On March 12, a coalition of 62 human rights groups, including the World Uyghur Congress, issued a joint call urging consultancies, auditors, certification bodies, and other service providers to cease their activities in East Turkistan. The statement followed the release of audit results by the German-based management consultancy, Löning-Human Rights & Responsible Business GmbH (Löning), concerning the SAIC-Volkswagen Automotive plant in East Turkistan. The audit findings, which found no forced labour within the joint venture, faced widespread criticism from Uyghur and international human rights groups, which argued that essential elements for an effective audit were lacking.

In their call, the NGOs urged auditing firms to halt audits in East Turkistan, acknowledging that social audits cannot effectively identify state-imposed forced labour. They further demanded companies to cease using raw or finished goods from the region and to prohibit supplier factories from employing Uyghur forced labour. Finally, they appealed to governments not to recognize audits conducted in East Turkistan and to enforce import control legislation that prohibits goods made with forced labour from being imported.

World Uyghur Congress President Attends Workshop in Montreal
On March 10, the World Uyghur Congress President, Dolkun Isa attended a three day advocacy training workshop in Montreal, organised by the Campaign for Uyghurs. The event was attended by Member of the House of Commons of Canada, Mr. Sameer Zuberi, the pioneer behind the M-62 motion dedicated to the resettlement of 10,000 Uyghur and Turkic refugees in Canada, the U.S. Consul General Robert Sanders, Campaign for Uyghurs Executive Director, Rushan Abbas, Uyghur Academy International President, Dr. Rishat Abbas, Executive Director at the Center for Uyghur Studies, Abdulhakim Idris, ED at the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, Mehmet Tohti, and CEO of China Democracy Fund, Dean Baxendale. 

During the workshop Mr. Isa stated that 3.5 million people are at risk of suffering transnational repression,with Communist China as one of the primary perpetrators of this widespread injustice.” He detailed the tactics of the Chinese government’s atrocities extending beyond its borders, including the establishment of overseas police stations, manipulation of Interpol, imposition of visa restrictions, and ways to counter transnational repression.

World Uyghur Congress President Attends Series of Events in the U.S.
On March 12, the President of the World Uyghur Congress, Dolkun Isa, arrived in Washington D.C. to participate in the inaugural World Liberty Congress Leadership Council Summit. During the summit, a global alliance of freedom fighters united to urge leaders of democratic countries to take action in response to the detention of political prisoners and to collaborate with activists to bring an end to dictatorships. Additionally, the event highlighted the upcoming elections in Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Syria, North Korea, Venezuela, and Rwanda, as well as the assassination attempt on Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny.

On March 14, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Optimum Publishing International hosted an event for Mr. Isa’s book titled “The China Freedom Trap”. The book highlights the Chinese government’s persecution of Uyghurs and details the genocide taking place in East Turkistan. The event was attended by international and Uyghur activists, politicians, and journalists. The book launch also featured a discussion on what the international community can do to bring an end to the CCP’s genocide against the Uyghur people. Speakers alongside WUC President, Dolkun Isa included acclaimed Washington Post Journalist, Josh Rogin and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Kelley Currie. 

World Uyghur Congress Attends UN HRC Session
On March 14, Zumretay Arkin, the Director of Global Advocacy, along with Peter Irwin from the Uyghur Human Rights Project, attended the 55th Human Rights Council Session, where they met with UN experts, diplomats, and members of the International Labor Organization. On March 15, Ms. Arkin participated in a commemoration event for Cao Shunli, a Chinese human rights defender who died at the hands of the Chinese government due to her advocacy at the UN. The event also included an exhibition showcasing the cases of Uyghur, Tibetan, and Chinese human rights defenders, such as Dr. Rahila Dawut and Yalqun Rozi. “These two cases are part of the thousands of Uyghur scholars, professors, doctors, religious figures and youth that were disappeared by the Government for simply defending the freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in its campaign to crush Uyghur identity and culture,” said Zumretay Arkin, Director of Global Advocacy at WUC. Additionally, the WUC, along with 30 other organizations, urged UN member states to call for a full, independent, and impartial investigation into her death.

PARTICIPATE

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!

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 historic case.