NEWS

Pope Francis Recognizes Persecution of Uyghurs
For the first time, Pope Francis, one of the world’s leading religious authorities, has spoken out on the plight of the Uyghurs, Reuters reported on the 23rd of November. In his book, titled “Let Us Dream: The Path to A Better Future”, Pope Francis acknowledged the persecution Uyghurs face in China. Civil society groups, including the World Uyghur Congress, have for a long time called upon the Pope to speak out against the Uyghur genocide. Whilst the Pope’s acknowledgement is an important first step, the Vatican needs to do more to raise the Uyghur plight directly with China during its bilateral discussions.

WUC Submits Testimony in Advance of Dutch Parliamentary Roundtable
In advance to a roundtable session organized by the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer), the World Uyghur Congress, together with other endorsers of the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region, submitted testimony to inform the discussion and call upon the participating parties to take steps to end rights abuses against Uyghurs in East Turkistan. The signatories of the submission urged the participating apparel brands to take the necessary steps to ensure that they are not involved in Uyghur forced labour, by signing the Coalition’s Call to Action. Furthermore, the submission called upon the Dutch Government to introduce mandatory due diligence legislation which would compel Dutch businesses to prevent human rights abuses in their supply chains, including Uyghur forced labour, holding them liable if they fail to do so.

Hundreds of Imams Detained by Chinese Authorities since 2017
On the 20th of November, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that hundreds of imams have been detained by Chinese authorities since 2017, in an effort to crack down on all forms of Islamic religious practice in East Turkistan. Abduweli Ayup, a Norway-based fellow with the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN), told RFA that interviews with Uyghurs from East Turkistan revealed that at least 613 imams were swept up in a campaign of extralegal incarceration that has also seen more than one million Uyghur being detained in internment camps, where they suffer from horrible abuses, including torture, sexual abuse, forced labour, and forced sterilization.

Apple Lobbies against Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
On 20 November, The Washington Post revealed that Apple is lobbying against the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, a bill that would require U.S. companies like Apple to guarantee they do not benefit from Uyghur forced labour in their supply chains in East Turkistan. According to congressional staffers, Apple attempts to water down the bill, as it is heavily dependent on Chinese manufacturing. While the bill is currently in front of the Senate, the WUC expresses its hope that it is soon passed and introduced as legislation to ensure U.S. companies are not complicit in Uyghur forced labour. 

WUC, Free Tibet and the UK Tibetan Community Launch #BanChen Campaign to Prevent Human Rights Abuser from Entering UK
On Wednesday 25th November, Free Tibet, the World Uyghur Congress and the Tibet Community in Britain announced the launch of their latest critical campaign, #BanChen, calling on British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to ban human rights abuser, Chen Quanguo, from entering the UK. “Throughout my lifetime, East Turkestan has been subjected to the most horrible forms of repression, but the arrival of Chen Quanguo in 2016 took the repression to another level”, Rahima Mahmut, UK Project Manager for the World Uyghur Congress, said. “Chen has been the architect of a police state and a genocide. His human rights abuses demand a firm response. Imposing sanctions on Chen would send a clear signal that the UK is changing course and taking these widespread human rights abuses seriously.”

WUC Congratulates Uerkesh Davlet For Being Elected to Taiwan Human Rights Commission
On November 26th, the World Uyghur Congress congratulated prominent pro-democracy activist, Uerkesh Davlet (Wu’er Kaixi), for being elected as the new Executive Deputy General Secretary of the Taiwan Parliamentary Human Rights Commission. Mr. Davlet, who is of Uyghur origin, has been fiercely defending democracy and fundamental freedoms in China, despite being subjected to intimidation and reprisals from the Chinese government. He has also been advocating for the respect of Uyghur human rights for many years, and recently became the Chairman of Campaign for Uyghurs. 

WUC President Dolkun Isa said: “I welcome the appointment of Uerkesh Davlet as the Executive Deputy General Secretary of the Taiwan Parliamentary Human Rights Commission. He spent his entire life defending democratic values and human rights in China. He is undoubtedly the right person for this important position, given his long years of experience in human rights. I also hope this will create an opportunity to advance Uyghur human rights in Taiwan and in Asia-Pacific. As his long-time friend, I congratulate him once again.’’

UN CERD Reiterates its Concern Over Human Rights Abuses in East Turkistan
On November 24, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) sent a follow-up letter to China requesting comments and actions on several issues. The Committee reiterated its grave concern on the serious violations of human rights unfolding in East Turkistan, including the mass arbitrary detention of millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples, family separation policies, the ban of Uyghur language as a medium of teaching in certain areas, heavy surveillance, denial of passports and the fate of Uyghur refugees and asylum seekers. 

In August 2018, the CERD-review on the situation in East Turkistan proved a critical point in the international recognition of the human rights violations carried out by the Chinese government, particularly the internment of over a million of Uyghurs and others. 

BBC Includes Uyghur Poet in its 100 Women List of 2020
On the 23rd of November, the BBC published its 100 Women 2020, which lists 100 inspiring and influential women around the world for 2020. Included on the list is the Uyghur poet and essayist Muyesser Abdul’ehed, who goes by her pen name, Hendan. While she started writing poems during her studies, by the time she had finished she decided to dedicate herself to writing. After relocating to Turkey in 2013, Hendan founded Ayhan Education, an organisation devoted to fostering and teaching the Uyghur language in the diaspora. Hendan’s recent work deals with the Uyghur crisis in East Turkistan. Her debut novel, Kheyr-khosh, quyash (Farewell to the Sun), is the first extended work of fiction to focus on the detention camps in East Turkistan.

PARTICIPATE

Join the #ForcedLabourFashion Campaign
From 30 November to 4 December, join the World Uyghur Congress and others for a week of action to call on Zara to stop profiting from Uyghur forced labour. Visit the website to see what you can do during this week of action! 

Support the Uyghur Tribunal
The Uyghur Tribunal, launched in September to investigate ongoing crimes committed by the CCP against the Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups, has launched its crowdfunding campaign. The Uyghur Tribunal is one of the most valuable initiatives to address the Uyghur plight. Your contributions make a real difference; act now by donating here!