NEWS

U.S. Declares China’s Actions Against Uighurs Constitute “Genocide”
The WUC has welcomed the decision of the former U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, at his last day in office to determine China’s repression of the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples as both “crimes against humanity” and “genocide’’. This makes it the first government to designate the crimes in East Turkistan as genocide. The Secretary of State of the new Biden Administration, Antony Blinken, has said he agrees with the determination by the outgoing Secretary of State that China’s actions against Uyghurs constitute genocide. As designating China’s actions as genocide entails obligations under the Genocide Convention to prevent and punish the crime, the Biden administration must now take concrete action to that end together with U.S. allies.

U.K. Genocide Amendment to the Trade Bill Narrowly Defeated
On January 19, the UK House of Commons narrowly defeated, by 319 to 308 votes, the Genocide Amendment to the Trade bill. The Amendment, backed by a cross-party alliance of MPs as well as many civil society and religious groups, would require the UK government to reconsider any trade deal with a country found by the high court to be committing genocide. For Uyghurs, this would have been an important opportunity for a legal determination on whether China’s actions constitute a genocide. The WUC expresses its heartfelt thanks to all supporters of the Amendment, and will continue its efforts in support for the revised Amendment, which will be re-table in the House of Lords.

“No Rights No Game Campaign” Targets Beijing Winter Olympics’ Sponsors
In 2015, China was selected as host country for the Olympic Winter Games, despite mounting concerns of its poor human rights record. Ahead of the 2022 games, different activists and organisations, including the WUC, launched the “No Rights No Game Campaign” to call upon China to respect the human rights of Uyghurs or lose the right to host the games. 

On January 18, The Guardian reported that this campaign has now also targeted the Beijing Winter Olympics’ sponsors, asking them to use their influence to call on the Chinese government to end the Uyghur genocide. The first multinational sponsor to be targeted is the chief executive officer of Airbnb, Brian Chesky. The No “Rights No Game Campaign” will also reach out to other major multinational sponsoring companies including Allianz, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Intel, Visa International, Omega, Atos and Panasonic. 

Chinese Consulate Accepts Information About Missing Relatives to Uyghurs in Turkey
On the 21st of January, Radio Free Asia reported that after 17 days of protesting by a group of Turkey-based Uyghurs in front of the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul, consular officials agreed to receive documentation about the relatives of these Uyghurs, who are held in internment camps in East Turkistan. The Chinese Consulate agreed to the Uyghurs’ demands at the behest of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu. The WUC urges China to release these relatives immediately, without any conditions.

Solar Industry Under Scrutiny Over Reports of Uyghur Forced Labour
On January 14, BuzzFeedNews reported that the solar industry relies heavily on Uyghur forced labour for key components. In particular, solar cells are made of polysilicon, a metal needed to convert light into energy. The worldwide share of polysilicon from East Turkistan increased from 9% in 2016 to 45% in 2020. At least one major Chinese polysilicon manufacturer cooperates with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), which is responsible for the severe human right violations in the internment camps. Another solar industry company has stated it works with “vocational schools”, which is an euphemism for the internment camps. 

Twitter blocks Account of the Chinese embassy to the US over Uyghur Tweet
On January 21, Bloomberg reported that Twitter locked the official account of the Chinese embassy to the US after sharing a tweet defending Beijing forced sterilization and birth control policies against Uyghur women. According to a twitter spokesperson, this violates its policy against dehumanization. The account has been locked, since the Chinese embassy refused to delete their tweet.

PARTICIPATE

Together for Uyghurs – A Holocaust Memorial Event
As we approach Holocaust Memorial Day, prominent leaders and thinkers will share how their beliefs inspire them to action for the Uyghur people. The online event hosted by rené cassin and CSW is taking place on January 25, 19:30-21:00 CET. More information here!

Online Discussion – The role of Media in the Uyghur Crisis
On January 28, the European Foundation for Democracy is hosting an online discussion with WUC President Dolkun Isa, Turkish Journalist Nevşin Mengü, and Giulia Pompili, Journalist for Il Foglio, on the role of the media in reporting on China’s persecution of the Uyghurs. More Information here!