Amnesty Report on Separation of Uyghur Children from their Parents
On March 19, Amnesty International published a report on the separation of Uyghur families by the chinese government. Amnesty International estimates that thousands of Uyghur families have been separated for years due to the repressive policies put in place by the Chinese government. Some parents who fled the region years ago are not able to reunite with their children. Uyghur Children, whose parents are detained in one of the camps, have been brought to state run orphanages by the Chinese authorities. Following

Amnesty’s report on the separation of Uyghur children from their parents who live in exile, CNN found two of these children in East Turkistan.

IOC Dismisses Claims of Uyghur Genocide
On March 12th, The Guardian reported that during a meeting with representatives of the No Beijing 2022 campaign, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) dismissed their concerns over human rights violations. “When we met with the IOC in October, we asked them to listen to our voices but instead they completely dismissed our experiences and sufferings,” said WUC Program and Advocacy Manager,Zumretay Arkin. Increasing critical voices are now calling for a boycott of the summer Olympics 2022 in Beijing, including MEPs Anna Fotyga, Assita Kanko, Kati Piri, Alviina Alametsä and Miriam M. Lexmann. 

46th UN Human Rights Council
During the Item 4 General Debate of the 46th UN Human Rights Council, Ziba Murat delivered a powerful statement about her missing mother, the Uyghur medical doctor Gulshan Abbas, and asked  the Chinese government to release her. She also highlighted the fate of all the missing relatives of Uyghurs in the diaspora.

In a statement to the UN Human Rights Council, US chargé d’affaires Mark Cassayre criticized the Chinese government in a strong statement for its human rights abuses. “We condemn China’s abuse of members of ethnic and religious minority groups including crimes against humanity and genocide in Xinjiang and severe restrictions in Tibet,” he stated. 

One Month Protest In Front of the Chinese Consulate in Munich
March 15th marked the last day of a one month-long protest in front of the Chinese consulate in Munich, organized by the Ostturkestanischen Union in Europa. For one month, Uyghurs from Munich and other cities protested in front of the consulate to draw attention to their missing relatives. On the last day of the monthly protest, German MP Martin Patzelt showed his solidarity with the Uyghur community and called on the Chinese government to immediately release all those arbitrarily detained in East Turkistan. 

Genocide Motion in Australia and Turkey rejected
On March 15th, the parliaments in Turkey and Australia rejected motions to recognize the human rights violations committed by the Chinese government against the Uyghurs as Genocide. In Turkey, the motion was rejected by the ruling AKP party; in Australia, the governing coalition and main opposition party blocked a formal vote. The motions were  introduced after the Canadian and Dutch Parliaments successfully adopted motions that acknowlege the crimes against Uyghurs and other Turkic people as genocide. The WUC hopes the Turkish and Australian parliaments will reconsider their stance and take the necessary steps towards recognizing the Uyghur genocide.

US Imports of Solar Products and Apple Cameras under Scrutiny over Uyghur Forced Labour Concerns
AFLCIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States, has urged the Biden administration to block imports of solar products containing polysilicon from East Turkistan over Uyghur forced labour concerns. In February, Politico reported that almost every solar panel in the EU is connected toUyghur forced labour. Similarly, the Telegraph reported that Apple has cut ties with O-Film, a Chinese supplier for some of Apple’s camera’s parts, following reports of the company’s complicity in Uyghur forced labour. The WUC reiterates that to end Uyghur forced labour, companies must exit the region at every level of their supply chain.

China Blocks EU Visit to East Turkistan
The Chinese Government is reportedly blocking a EU visit to East Turkistan over the requirement of a visit with 2019 Sakharov laureate Ilham Tohti, one of the most renowned Uyghur  intellectuals who is serving a life sentence in China for his advocacy for the Uyghur people. The EU has been negotiating since 2019 with Chinese officials on the conditions of their visit, without any success so far The negotiations have been delayed due to the corona pandemic.  

High-Level Meeting Between United States and China
On the occasion of the first high-level, in-person meeting between United States (US) and Chinese officials under the Biden administration in Alaska, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has urged US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to adequately address the Uyghur genocide, along with several other recommendations. The meeting between U.S. and Chinese diplomats is an important opportunity for the United States to further raise the Uyghur genocide. Next to the Biden Administration’s persistently strong position on China’s egregious human rights violations, the WUC welcomed Secretary of State Blinken’s remarks last week that during the meeting, taking place on 18 and 19 March, the US will continue to actively speak out against these violations.