World Uyghur Congress, 16 October 2020

NEWS

WUC Regrets China’s Re-Election to UN Human Rights Council
In anticipation of the elections for the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), UK member of Parliament and shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy has urged the UK government to vote against the re-election of China, the Guardian reported on 10 October. In a letter addressed to UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab, Nandy called for blocking China’s election given its genocidal campaign against the Uyghur people in East Turkistan. “Labour is calling on the government to oppose China’s election to the UN human rights council […] and make clear to the world the reasons for doing so,” she wrote. “In the current circumstances, China cannot be regarded as meeting the required standards.” Nandy’s message rearticulated repeated calls from other politicians and civil society groups, including the World Uyghur Congress, to oppose China’s seat in the HRC.

Despite these calls, China was re-elected to the HRC on October 13th, though with only 139 votes – a loss of 41 UN member states compared to China’s last election to the HRC. This reveals a significant loss of support for China at the council. The WUC has expressed its regrets over China’s re-election, a position which it has continuously used to escape accountability for its grave human rights abuses against Uyghurs and others. China’s threat to the UN human rights system was made immediately clear when the country announced its election, stating that “there is no universally applicable model” to human rights, which threatens to erode the universality of human rights.

British MPs Urge the UK Government to Impose Sanctions and Trade Restrictions over Uyghur Genocide
On October 14th, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reported that British Members of Parliament have urged the UK government to follow the example of the United States and introduce sanctions against Chinese officials. In particular, the British lawmakers called for sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for the ongoing atrocities against the Uyghur people as well as for trade restrictions on goods made with Uyghur forced labor. “The suffering that the Uyghur Muslims have undergone, and sadly continue to undergo, is nothing short of horrifying,” MP Chris Evans said in a speech during the debate. “The petition calls for action and asks the government to take any necessary steps to stop such breaches of human rights.” The WUC applauds such growing initiatives within the UK. Moreover, as part of a coalition against Uyghur forced labour, the WUC will continue to campaign to call upon companies to end their complicity. 

Amidst Mass Arbitrary Detention of Uyghurs, the CCP Targets Younger Generation
On October 15th,  the Uyghur plight made it to the cover of The Economist. The article  described how the Chinese Communist Party’s genocidal policies have also been directed at the younger generation, targeting Uyghur children whose parents have been arbitrarily detained in internment camps. he arbitrary detention of millions of Uyghurs has thereby also brought immense suffering for Uyghur children, who are often placed in boarding schools where they are deprived of their cultural identity through bans on the practice of their religion and language, amongst other expressions of their cultural identity. Based on evidence provided by German scholar Adrian Zenz, the article estimated that around 250,000 out of 3 million Uyghurs in East Turkistan under the age of 15 have had one or both parents interned. Furthermore, it found that 880,500 children had been placed in boarding facilities by the end of 2019, an increase of nearly 383,000 since 2017. These numbers show how the Chinese government is systematically targeting the younger Uyghur generation in its attempt to destroy the distinct Uyghur identity. 

China’s Frustration over Joint Statement at HRC Denouncing Uyghur Atrocities
On October 8th, DW reported that China has reacted furiously to the statement of 40 countries at the UN Human Rights Council which denounced China’s gross human rights violations against Uyghurs and other groups, as well as its threat to political and personal freedoms in Hong Kong. According to a Chinese diplomat, China’s anger was in part due to the fact that it had not anticipated such a surge in support for the declaration. Other officials said that Beijing had not expected more than 30 countries to join and had begun a political pressure campaign to prevent countries from signing the statement. The growing support for declarations denouncing China’s poor human rights record, as well as China’s angry response, show that the international community is taking a firmer stand against China. Nevertheless, the WUC continues to reiterate that more concrete and meaningful action by the international community is urgently needed to stop the Uyhgur genocide.

New Regulations to Impose More Restrictions on Chinese Muslims’ Eligibility for Pilgrimage to Mecca 
On 13 October, Bitter Winter reported that the Chinese State Administration of Religious Affairs has introduced new regulations on the Hajj, which will impose stricter controls on Chinese Muslims willing to visit Mecca. Article 12.1 of the new regulations provides that the religious and social life of the candidate to Hajj will be examined, and only those found to be “patriotic and of good conduct” will be eligible. Accordingly, the new regulations, which will come into force on the 1st of December, turn the management of the Hajj into yet another tool of control and surveillance of Chinese muslims, including Uyghurs. Such new regulations add to the severe religious persecution of Uyghurs in East Turkistan, where over 30 percent of mosques have been destroyed since 2017, and where any form of religious practice by Uyghur muslims has been under attack by Chinese officials.

Open Letter by Members of the European Parliament brand Huawei ZTE ‘High-Risk’ 5G vendors
On October 14, Politico reported that prominent members of the European Parliament called in an letter to the EU Commission and to national telecom ministers to cut European public funding for the Chinese 5G vendors Huawei and ZTK, since these “high-risk companies pose a security threat to network security in Europe. This high-profile, cross-party letter, issued before the Telecom ministers’ video conference meeting, was signed by more than 40 members of the European Parliament, including European Commission Vice President Andrus Ansip (Renew) and Chair of the Parliament’s China delegation Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens).

Genghis Khan exhibit without the word ‘Genghis Khan’
On October 14, the Guardian reported that the Château des ducs de Bretagne, a French history museum, has postponed an exhibition about the Mongol emperor Genghis Khan for over three years due to interference by the Chinese government. The Chinese government is demanding that words like ‘Genghis Khan’, ‘Empire’ and ‘Mongol’ be taken away from the show. Furthermore, the Chinese authorities were demanding power over exhibition brochures, legends and maps. Last month, the Chinese government ruled that the first language of school instruction in Inner Mongolia would be Chinese. Inner Mongolia, East Turkistan, Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan – the Chinese government’s campaign of rewriting history and eradicating the rich cultural heritage of  these groups has become increasingly aggressive.