NEWS 

Dolkun Isa vs Shokhrat Zakir in Süddeutsche Zeitung: “One Fights For His People, The Other Imprisons Them.”

On August 13, the Süddeutsche Zeitung dedicated a page-long article to World Uyghur Congress (WUC) President, Dolkun Isa, and his activism for Uyghur rights. The article featured a story of two opposites, Dolkun Isa and Shokhrat Zakir. Dolkun Isa, President of the WUC, has been tirlesly advocating for the rights of the Uyghurs ever since he was a student, years before the Chinese government adopted its genocide policy against the Uyghurs. Instead, Shokhrat Zakir, Chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the deputy party chief of the Uyghur Region, had a stellar career with the Communist Party of China. Representative of the brutal regime, his figure highlights the responsibility for the internment of millions of Uyghurs and the crackdown of the Uyghur culture.

 Beginning of Democratic Elections of Delegates to the 7th General Assembly of the World Uyghur Congress

On August 15th, the East Turkistan Association of Canada gathered more than 300 persons to democratically elect 15 delegates to the 7th General Assembly of the World Uyghur Congress in Prague, November 12-14, during which new WUC representatives will be chosen, including its board members and President. During the gathering, it was further decided to organize the Grand Opening of the Uyghur Canadian Islamic & Cultural Center on September 25, 2021. 

The gathering of the East Turkistan Association of Canada forms part of worldwide elections. The WUC has announced that similarly on this Sunday, the 22nd of August, Uyghur communities in 25 countries worldwide will hold democratic elections to appoint their delegates.

Chinese Secret Detention Facilities in Dubai 

On August 16, AP News reported that Wu Huan, a young Chinese woman, claimed to be held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders. This signals a broader trend in which China is increasingly using its economic and political power to forcibly detain or extradite back citizens from overseas, including Uyghurs. As practices of forced extraditions clearly in violation of the principle of non-refoulement in international law, the international community should step up its efforts to address this growing problem.

Meeting with Strasbourg for Uyghurs in Munich and Ivan Bartos in Prague 

On August 15, the WUC team in Munich received representatives from Strasbourg for Uyghurs, who are part of a growing trend where people organize locally to raise awareness for the Uyghur cause. The WUC is grateful for dedication of members of Strasbourg for Uyghurs to raise awareness of the Uyghur crisis and to campaign for ending the Uyghur genocide. A few days later, on August 18th, WUC Program & Advocacy Manager, Zumretay Arkin, met Ivan Bartos, leader of the Czech Pirates Party and prime ministerial candidate for the next elections in Czech Republic. 

Monitoring of Preschoolers in East Turkistan 

On August 16, Radio Free Asia reported  that more than 80 percent of the Uyghur children at a village preschool in East Turkistan have at least one parent in state custody, while pupils with both parents in detention attend a separate “welfare school”, where they are continuously monitored. According to RFA’s sources, the children of detainees are sometimes allowed to have video chats with their parents, though they are unable to speak freely during the brief calls.

Labour Discrimination Against Uyghurs

On August 17, the Byline Times reported on research that shows how Uyghur workers experience systemic discrimination in East Turkistan and broader China. “When Byline Times conducted an analysis of job adverts posted on these two sites during a recent three-day period by searching for postings that openly refer to ‘Uyghurs’ and ‘ethnic minorities’, it found that more than half (55%) of job openings expressly stated that Uyghur, Hui, Yi and Tibetan applicants would not be considered by the respective company”.