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Weekly Brief: 29 October 2021

Weekly Brief: 29 October 2021

NEWS

WUC Calls for Release of Dr. Ilham Tohti on his 52nd Birthday

On the occasion of the 52nd birthday of Dr. Ilham Tohti, who was jailed 7 years ago, rights groups have called for his release. “Prof. Ilham Tohti was unjustly imprisoned and isolated in a single cell like millions of innocent Uyghurs”, WUC President Dolkun Isa said in a statement “He must be unconditionally released.” Dr. Tohti has received more than 10 international human rights awards since his sentencing, including the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2016 and the Sakharov Award for “Freedom of Thought” in 2019. He also was nominated for the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s Peace Prize in 2020.

G7 Countries Reiterate Commitments to Tackle Forced Labour Worldwide
On October 22nd, Politico reported that G7 trade ministers reiterated their commitments to tackle forced labour worldwide in a statement following a meeting in London. The statement thereby echoed commitments made earlier this year, during the G7 Summit in Cornwall. While the new recent statement can be read as describing Uyghur forced labour by mentioning “state-sponsored forced labour of vulnerable groups and minorities, including in the agricultural, solar and garment sectors”, the WUC once again urges countries to move beyond this rhetoric, and take concrete actions to end Uyghur forced labour, such as import ban mechanisms.

NBA Athlete Enes Kanter Speaks Out on China’s Human Rights Abuses
The WUC has applauded NBA athlete Enes Kanter for raising his voice against the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights crimes, and calling upon the international community, including influential athletes, to speak out. Last week, Kanter posted several statements on his Twitter account, condemning the Chinese State’s crimes against Tibetans and Uyghurs. He also targeted brands complicit in Uyghur Forced Labour. “Nike likes to say ‘Just Do It’. Well, what are you doing about the slave labor that makes your shoes? Don’t forget, every time you put those shoes on your feet, or you put that T-shirt on your back, there are so many tears and so much oppression and so much blood behind it all,” said Kanter in a powerful statement.

Alternative Torch Relay in Europe to Protest against Beijing 2022
To speak out against the Beijing 2022 Olympics, reclaiming the Olympic movement, rights groups in Europe organized their own torch relay event. A torch depicting China’s bloody human rights record travelled throughout Europe to raise awareness of the human rights abuses taking place in parallel with the Beijing Olympics. Organized by the World Uyghur Congress, Tibet Initiative Deutschland, Never again.Right Now, and Honkonger in Deutschland, the torch relay took place along diverse other events in Germany to protest and call for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

US Retail Giants Drop Lorex and Ezviz Products Over Complicity in Uyghur Genocide
On October 25th, TechCrunch reported that US retail giants Home Depot, Best Buy, and Lowes have dropped products from Chinese video surveillance makers Lorex and Ezviz from their stores. Lorex and Ezviz are owned by Dahua and Hikvision, whose surveillance products are well-documented to have facilitated the Uyghur genocide. “It is with great concern that we observe foreign companies being complicit in the Uyghur genocide”, WUC President Dolkun Isa said. Dahua is directly connected with the Chinese Communist Party, as it provides surveillance technology used to monitor millions of Uyghurs in East Turkistan”.

WUC at IPAC G20 Counter Meeting in Rome
On October 29th, WUC’s UK Director Rahima Mahmut gave a statement to the IPAC G20 counter meeting in Rome, where she spoke on the suffering Uyghurs have endured since 2016, and pleaded with the international community to act on its human rights obligations. The IPAC counter-meeting was organized ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit to demand a tougher stance towards the Chinese government, and was attended by Parliamentarians from across 5 continents. Moreover, a protest was organized outside the Chinese Embassy, which featured a replica of the Pillar of Shame whilst Uyghur and Hong Konger activists demanded human rights for their communities.