NEWS

WUC Delegation Travels to Australia
This week, a World Uyghur Congress (WUC) delegation led by WUC President Dolkun Isa, as well as two camp survivors, travelled to Australia. In Canberra, together with Amnesty International Australia, they met with 15 Members of Parliament, the Foreign Ministry, civil society, journalists and Uyghur representatives, to press the federal government to officially recognise Uyghurs as victims of genocide and help ramp up international pressure on China.

WUC President Dolkun Isa said that while he appreciated Australia’s work to increase pressure on China in international organisations, Australia was yet to take any concrete steps against officials responsible for the torture and repression of Uyghurs. “The Australian parliament is still silent on this and doesn’t recognise this as genocide,” he said.

The UN Committee on Racial Discrimination Issues Decision on the Uyghur Crisis
On November 24th, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) published a decision in which it expressed its concern about the human rights situation, and called on China  to “immediately investigate all allegations of human rights violations” Acting under its early warning and urgent action procedure, the Committee also urged China to immediately release all detainees, cease intimidation and reprisals, and fully review its “national security” and “counter terrorism” frameworks in East Turkistan.

European Council President Charles Michel to Meet with Xi Jinping
On November 24th, the European Council – representing the 27 EU Member States – announced that its President, Charles Michel, will be travelling to Beijing on 1 December to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “The EU and Chinese leaders will discuss global challenges as well as subjects of common interest”, the announcement reads.

This comes as the European Union is set to renew sanctions on four Chinese officials and one entity for their complicity in the atrocity crimes in East Turkistan. Moreover, during a European Parliament discussion on EU-China relations, MEP and Co-Chair of the Uyghur Friendship Group, David Lega, reminded HR/VP Josep Borrell about crimes against humanity & genocide against Uyghurs: “If you cannot prevent the genocide, at least punish the abusers & sanction the monsters. Because we promised ‘never again'”, he said. Other MEPs also highlighted the Uyghur genocide during the debate, urging the EU to take a more assertive stance.

Global Coalition Urges Leading Asset Managers to Divest from Uyghur Forced Labour
On November 22nd, the WUC joined the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region urging investors to divest from Chinese companies complicit in the Uyghur Genocide. This follows a new report by Hong Kong Watch and Sheffield Hallam University’s Laura Murphy, which documents that leading investment funds such as BlackRock, Vanguard, Fidelity, and numerous US, Canadian, and UK pension funds, have invested in Chinese companies that have been identified in research and media as using Uyghur labour through state-sponsored transfers.

WUC President Dolkun Isa Participates in the Halifax Security Forum
From November 18 until November 20, World Uyghur Congress president, Dolkun Isa attended the Halifax Security Forum in Canada, for the third year in a row. On the opening day, Mr. Isa participated in the panel titled “And So, Where is the Security”, together with Canadian Minister of National Defense Anita Anand, Estonian President Alar Kaaris, and United States Senator Jeanne Shahee.

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.