NEWS

UN Report Confirms Conclusive Evidence of Atrocities Against Uyghurs

On August 31th, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) finally published its long-overdue report on the situation in East Turkistan. The report, which the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and other rights groups have demanded for a long time, concluded that the violations against the Uyghurs “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity”, but stopped short of mentioning genocide.

In anticipation of the publication of the UN report on the situation in East Turkistan, this week a WUC delegation, led by its President, Dolkun Isa, travelled to Geneva to conduct advocacy meetings. In the aftermath of the report, the WUC’s representatives were quoted by the New York Times, BBC, the Guardian, Politico, Al Jazeera, and others.

“This UN report is extremely important. It paves the way for meaningful and tangible action by member states, UN bodies, and the business community,” said World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa in a joint statement of 65 Uyghur groups. “Accountability starts now.”

Joint Statement on the International Day of the Disappeared 

On August 30th, which marks the International Day of the Disappeared, the WUC and 32 other organisations in a joint statement called on the international community to recognize and take meaningful action to put an end to all forms of enforced disappearance in China. In East Turkistan, it is estimated that since 2016, more than one million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims have been arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared in detention facilities. As such, the WUC calls on the Chinese authorities to immediately release all those detained and disappeared.

WUC Urges New Volkswagen CEO to Shut Down Plant in East Turkistan

On August 31st, the WUC joined 98 other Uyghur, Tibetan, and other rights organisations in an open letter to Volkswagen’s new CEO, Oliver Blume, urging the company to shut down its plant in Urumqi. The German car manufacturer has operated a plant in East Turkistan for many years, which its previous CEO, Herbert Driess, has long justified. To strengthen its calls to shut down the plant, the WUC organised a protest in Wolfsburg, on September 2nd.

New Report Implicates Global Date Industry in Uyghur Forced Labour

On August 28th, the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) published a new report, “Fruits of Uyghur Forced Labor: Sanctioned Products on American Grocery Store Shelves”. The report found that 20 percent of red dates in the global supply chain are likely tainted by Uyghur forced labour, and that these continue to be sold in American supermarkets despite the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) having come into force. As such, UHRP’s research shows that U.S. food retailers and consumers risk complicity in forced labor and other atrocities, including genocide and crimes against humanity.

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.