NEWS

European Parliament Stands in Solidarity with Uyghur Victims of the Urumchi Fire
On December 15th, the European Parliament with a strong majority passed a resolution “on the Chinese Government crackdown on the peaceful protests across the People’s Republic of China”. It notes that all victims of the Urumchi fire were of Uyghur ethnicity, which added onto the existing human rights atrocities Uyghurs are being subjected to. The resolution stands in solidarity with the victims and their family members, and calls for a prompt, effective, and thorough investigation of the Urumchi fire, and manifests the concern over the zero-Covid policy that the Chinese government is enforcing in East Turkestan. Furthermore, it urges the Chinese government to “put an end to the repression against Uyghurs”, and welcomes the ban of products made by Uyghur forced labour, as proposed by the European Commission.

In advance of debate and vote on the resolution, the WUC President Dolkun Isa met with EP Vice-President Pina Picierno and MEP Ergin Eroglu in Strasbourg to thank them for their efforts.

Canadian Parliament Passes Anti Organ-Trafficking Bill
On December 14th, Canadian Members of Parliament passed the “Trafficking in Human Organs Act” (Bill S-223). The legislation is an amendment to the Canadian Criminal Code and Refugee Protection Act, and makes the “removal without informed consent” punishable with a maximum of 14 years in prison. An offence is being committed from anyone who is involved in non-consensual organ transplantation (including carrying out, participating in or facilitating the removal) as well as receiving an organ, which belonged to another person, who could non consent to the removal.

Former Canadian Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler commented on the passage, saying the “abhorrent practice of organ harvesting has targeted the most vulnerable, including the Uyghur minority and Falun Gong practitioners in China.” Executive director for the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, Mehmet Tothi, stated that “China has been commercializing human organs to make money out of it. Uyghurs and other groups have been targeted by China as a main source of human organ supply.”

Statement by the EU Delegation to China On International Human Rights Day
On December 10th, which marked International Human Rights Day, the European delegation to China published a statement, welcoming the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) assessment of the human rights situation in East Turkistan and underscoring the need for justice and accountability and urging China to abide by its obligations under national and international law, especially in East Turkistan.

“China should stop the practice of residential surveillance at a designed location which has been condemned by the UN Special Procedures, as well as discontinue the use of torture inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of detained persons to extract forces and public confessions,” said the delegation.

PARTICIPATE

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.