Responsive Image

WEEKLY BRIEF: 27 MARCH 2020

WEEKLY BRIEF: 27 MARCH 2020

World Uyghur Congress, 27 March 2020

Visit of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to East Turkistan
Weeks after stating UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Ms. Bachelet could visit the camps in East Turkistan at the 43rd Human Rights Council, China’s Communist Party (CCP) officials are already backtracking, delaying and making excuses. In an interview with Axios on HBO on March 22, Ambassador CuiTianka said that the preconditions made by the UN OHCHR are unreasonable and political. The World Uyghur Congress is calling on OHCHR to ensure that Ms. Bachelet has unfettered access during her stay and that her visit is not misused as a propaganda tour by the CCP.

CCP Blaming Italy for Covid-19
The Chinese Communist Party is now trying to blame Italy for the COVID-19 pandemic using state propaganda media outlets like The Global Times. China tried to cover up the outbreak of  COVID-19 for several months by silencing doctors like Li Wenliang which allowed the virus to spread unabated. Now the Chinese government is pushing hard to obscure the source of COVID-19 9 and to cast itself as a responsible global leader dispensing humanitarian aid overseas.The CCP constantly spreading lies and disinformation is not a new strategy, the CCP also  lied about the existence and nature of the internment camps, where 1.8-3 million Uyghurs arbitrarily are arbitrarily detained by the Chinese government. 

Norwegian Oil Fund Should Divest from Chinese Tech Companies
The World Uyghur Congress together with five other human rights organizations launched a joint campaign that was supported by  Avaaz where people can send a direct letter to Norway Oil Fund calling on  them to divest from Hikvision and Dahua. Norway Oil Fund, one of the world’s largest pension funds, holds significant investments in Hikvision and Dahua, both directly responsible for the arbitrary detention of millions. Two weeks ago, these human rights organizations also urged in an open letter the Norway Oil Fund to stop their investments in Hikvision and Dahua immediately. 

Uyghur Singer Rashida Dawut Sentenced to Prison
According to Radio Free Asia,Uyghur singer Rashida Dawut, celebrated for her love ballads, has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term of 15 years for “separatism” following a secret trial in East Turkistan. China jailing Uyghur intellectuals and artists on dubious terms is yet another proof of the regime’s attempt to erode the Uyghur identity.

No Rights No Games
On March 12, the IOC announced that the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo will be postponed, because of the covid19 pandemic. Nevertheless, China intends to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing while committing what some are calling ‘crimes against humanity in East Turkistan. Activists of the No Rights No Games campaign urge the IOC to take urgent action ahead of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, to ensure the camps are closed ahead of the Olympics in 2022.    

Transfer of Camp detainees in Bayin’gholin’s Chakilik Prefectur
On March 3, Radio Free Asia reported that all internment camp detainees in East Turkistan’s Bayin’gholin’s Chakilik prefecture have been sent to jail or to other parts of China. A police officer told Radio Free Asia that all camps have been closed in this prefecture and that the detainees are either sent to jail or transferred to forced labour facilities in other parts of China. Furthermore, an image circulating on social media shows rows of detainees in blue jumpsuits, wearing masks and holding bags of their personal belongings while they stand in a public square in the Bayin’gholin’s Chakilik prefecture. Experts and Uyghur activists believe that this photo shows detainees who are being transferred. The WUC demands that CCP releases all arbitrarily detained Uyghurs immediately.

More Evidence about Camps and Prisons in East Turkistan
On March 24, Bitter Winter published more photos and testimonies from residents in East Turkistan’s Kashgar prefecture revealing more details of facilities used by the CCP to detain millions of innocent people. Last week, Bitter Winter also published an interview with three construction workers who have been hired to build some of the internment facilities.

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs criticizes China for its cynical “politics of generosity”
Chinese government has tried to support Europe with medical equipment, since the focus of the COVID-19 pandemic shifted from China to Europe. This week EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called out the Chinese government for its cynical “politics of generosity”, its attempts to undermine European unity and for aggressively pushing its own geopolitical narrative.