NEWS

Uyghur Man Dies by Suicide after Learning He Would Be Sent to an Internment Camp
On December 18th, Radio Free Asia reported that a young Uyghur man, who went missing after he learned he would be sent to one of the internment camps in East Turkistan, has been found to have died by suicide. The young Uyghur man had learned he would be interned because he was born in the year 2000, thus falling within an age range for Uyghur men that is considered “dangerous” by authorities. Such reasons for internment were previously reported by Human Rights Watch, which was based on research of a leaked prisoner list (the Aksu list).

Coalition Sends Letter to Apple over Complicity in China’s Human Rights Abuses.
On December 18th, the WUC, as part of a coalition of more than 150 activist groups, representing Tibetan, Uyghur, Southern Mongolian, Hongkonger, Taiwanese, and Chinese people, delivered an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, highlighting the company’s failure to enact its own human rights policy considering the seemingly growing complicity of corporations like Apple in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) human rights atrocities. In light of these atrocities, the coalition urged Apple to take appropriate steps towards a future in which the affected communities are treated with dignity and respect.

HRW Urges IOC President Thomas Bach over Beijing 2022 Human Rights Concerns
On December 22nd, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to urge the IOC to immediately conduct robust human rights due diligence around the preparations for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and to explain its efforts to manage human rights risks connected to the Games by February 2021, one year ahead of the games. Against the backdrop of extensive concerns about the human rights climate for hosting the games in China, such as the deteriorating situation for Uyghurs in East Turkistan, HRW requested the IOC to give a detailed explanation of how it aims to meet human rights standards for the Beijing 2022 Games.

Alibaba Admits Developing Uyghur Recognition Service
On December 22nd, IPVM reported on Chinese company Alibaba’s statement to research by IPVM that Alibaba’s cloud division openly offered Uyghur detection services. As the story was picked up by international media, Alibaba responded by saying that it is “dismayed” while claiming it “never intended” to target “specific ethnic groups” and the tech was only used “within a testing environment”. According to IPVM, however, developing such software takes complex steps that intentionally target Uyghurs, while Alibaba has also refused to provide any proof this was just a ‘test’ or ‘trial’. 

EU-China Investment Agreement under Pressure over Uyghur Forced Labour Concerns
On 20 December, South China Morning Post reported that although China and the European Union made swift advances in negotiating a trade deal, concerns over forced labour in China now seem likely to derail an agreement. In particular, Beijing’s refusal to ratify International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards on forced labour will make it politically difficult for the European Parliament to vote in its favour, as the Parliament last week passed a resolution to condemn Beijing’s practices in Xinjiang, which said any comprehensive agreement with China “must include adequate commitments to respect international conventions against forced labour”. 

PARTICIPATE

Tell Zara: Stop Profiting From Uyghur Forced Labour
Spanish-based retailer Zara, among many giant corporations companies, claims to prohibit forced labour in its supply chains, yet offers no credible explanation as to how it can do this considering their links to East Turkistan where all goods are likely to be tainted by forced labour. By continuing to operate in and maintaining links to the region, fashion brands like these are complicit in what many have widely recognized as crimes against humanity. Please sign the petition here!

Supporters in the UK, Write your MP to Write to Demand that no Trade Deals with Genocidal States are Signed
Governments should not sign trade deals with regimes that are committing genocide. To ensure the U.K. places human rights above trade, the Genocide Amendment is essential. The amendment also enables to U.K. courts to judge that the crime of genocide has happened. Find out how you can write your MP here!