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Weekly Brief, 20 January 2023

Weekly Brief, 20 January 2023

NEWS

World Uyghur Congress Successfully Concludes Annual Staff Retreat
From 14-17 January, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) held its annual staff retreat in Barcelona to look back on its successes and shortcomings of 2022 and to strategise for 2023. The WUC received a warm welcome from the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), whose Vice-President Elisenda Paluzie gave a presentation about the Catalan movement for self-determination. The WUC further visited the Tibet House in Barcelona, where they met with Thubten Wangchen, member of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile and a special representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In interviews with Catalan media outlets TV3 and VilaWeb, WUC President Dolkun Isa talked about the Uyghur genocide.

WUC Calls for Release of Ilham Tohti Nine Years after Imprisonment
On January 15th, on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the imprisonment of Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti, the WUC renewed its calls on the Chinese government to publish official information on his whereabouts and conditions, and immediately and unconditionally release him. Tohti was arrested in 2014 for allegedly “committing crimes and violating the law” and sentenced to life in prison for “advocating separatism”. For his work to promote human rights and create a bridge between Uyghur and Han people, Tohti received the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament and the Vaclav Havel Prize, among others.

European Court for Human Rights Orders Malta not to Deport Uyghurs to China
On January 16th, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered Malta to stop the forcible deportation of an Uyghur couple, who arrived in Malta in 2016. Following rejection of their application for International Protection in 2017, the Uyghurs spent years living in hiding in Malta and were issued with a return decision and removal order on August 1, 2022. The applicants raised a claim based on the principle of non refoulement before the competent authorities which was rejected on January 12, 2023. On January 13th, an application for urgent interim measures against the EU Member State was filed, which resulted in the ECHR decision.

WUC Meets with German Human Rights Commissioner
On January 18th, the WUC President, Dolkun Isa, and Berlin Director, Gheyyur Kurban, met with the German government’s human rights commissioner, Luise Amtsberg. As part of a coalition that further included representatives from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Tibet Initiative, Save Tibet, MERICS, Urgewald, Reporters without Borders, and Society for Threatened Peoples, the WUC called for a robust China strategy focused on human rights and accountability.

Participate

Vote for the WUC for the Freedom Now Award
The WUC is honoured to have been nominated for the For Freedom Impact Award by Freedom United for our campaign to end Uyghur forced labour. The For Freedom Spotlight Award is in recognition of organisations leading on impactful campaigns that have focused attention and raised awareness of changes needed to end modern slavery. Please support the WUC by voting for us here!

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.