NEWS

UK Court to Hear Uyghur Demands to Ban East Turkistan Cotton

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) have taken the U.K. government to court to challenge Britain’s failure to block the import of cotton products associated with forced labour and other abuses in East Turkistan. 

From 25-26 October, a WUC delegation attended the official hearing, which is believed to be the first time a foreign court hears legal arguments from the Uyghurs over the issue of forced labour in East Turkistan. The WUC’s lawyers Jenni Richards KC and Tom Forster KC  said there were reasonable grounds to suspect breaches of criminal and civil law under the Foreign Prison-Made Goods Act 1897 and the Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) 2002, which concerns money laundering.

UN High-Level Side Event in New York

On October 25th, 23 United Nations member states hosted a discussion in response to the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Uyghur human rights crisis. WUC President Dolkun Isa was invited to provide the opening of the debate, during which he urged the international community not to give up on the Uyghurs. He also appealed to Global South and Muslim-majority countries: “your support is a moral obligation and a commitment to the values of the Global Ummah.”

MPs Weighing Refugee Assistance for Uyghurs Oppressed by China

On October 26th, the Canadian Parliament held a debate on motion brought by Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi, which calls on Canada to make room in its refugee intake numbers for 10,000 Uyghurs and members of other Turkic groups who have fled China and are living in third countries such as Turkey. MPs were asked to support new measures to address China’s repression of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities.

“This motion, to resettle 10,000 Uyghurs, will help to mitigate a genocide that is unfolding now,” MP. Zuberi said. “Canada has a responsibility to help mitigate genocide and crimes against humanity. Welcoming 10,000 vulnerable Uyghurs is a partial response to this.”

Authorities in East Turkistan Increased Detentions of Uyghurs Before Party Congress

On October 26th, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that China has detained hundreds of Uyghurs in its northwestern Xinjiang region during a new round of its “Strike Hard” campaign in the month leading up to last week’s Chinese Communist Party congress. A Uyghur source and regional authorities stated that these measures were to ensure that Uyghurs “would not stir up trouble”. During the most recent crackdown, authorities rounded up Uyghurs who had recently turned 18, those released from internment camps in recent years and those who managed to elude monitoring in recent years.

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.