NEWS

World Uyghur Congress Organises Protests on China’s National Day
On October 1, on the 74th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Uyghurs, Tibetans, HongKongers, Southern Mongolians and Chinese activists held demonstrations around the world to raise awareness about the human rights violations committed by China. Since 1949 under CCP rule, the affected nations and communities have had to endure Chinese occupation and military invasions, and are currently facing modern day human rights violations. The World Uyghur Congress jointly organised protests in Berlin and London to highlight the severe repressions and genocide carried out by the CCP against the Uyghur population. During the London demonstration, the WUC UK-Director, Rahima Mahmut, said: “We amplify the silenced voices from East Turkistan, Tibet, Hong Kong, Southern Mongolia, and China. As the CCP revels in its 74 years reign I take this moment to salute 74 years of undying resilience from communities like ours because in our unyielding spirit we find our greatest strength.”

World Uyghur Congress Criticises Switzerland for Rejecting EU Sanctions Against China
On October 2, the World Uyghur Congress issued a press release condemning Switzerland’s refusal to adopt the EU’s sanctions against China. The EU issued sanctions in 2021 against four Chinese officials and a state paramilitary organization responsible for the genocide of the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. 

“The Swiss Federal Council has not only failed to take a clear position against the Uyghur genocide but also failed to communicate this serious decision transparently with the public,” says WUC President Dolkun Isa. “Switzerland once again shows that it is a safe haven for human rights criminals and thus makes itself their accomplice. Only through Switzerland’s close cooperation with the EU, can those responsible for the genocide of the Uyghur people be held accountable.” World Uyghur Congress President, Dolkun Isa, furthermore called for Switzerland to take effective measures against the genocide of the Uyghurs, away from relying on China for economic reasons.

World Uyghur Congress Director of Global Advocacy Interviewed by ANI News
On September 29, the World Uyghur Congress Director of Global Advocacy, Zumretay Arkin, was interviewed by ANI News on the repressions faced by Uyghur women in East Turkistan. Uyghur women face multiple challenges such as extrajudicial detention in detention camps, coerced marriages between Uyghur women and Han men, forced labour, forced sterilisation and the separation of Uyghur children from their families.

Last week, the WUC Director of Global Advocacy furthermore partook in a UN Human Rights Council side event on the Findings of the UN women’s rights committee on China, highlighting Uyghur women’s deprivation of normal family life. 

ABC News Reporters Visit East Turkistan
On September 30, ABC News published an article on its recent visit to East Turkistan. The ABC reporters were part of a group invited on a propaganda media tour of the region, organised and curated by the Chinese government. The orchestrated tour, which lasted one week and was tightly controlled, included visits to a kindergarten, where Uyghur children recited verses in Mandarin, visits to a Mosque as well as to a museum dedicated to “The Fight Against Terrorism and Extremism in Xinjiang”. Despite the CCP’s attempts to portray the life in East Turkistan as “happy and prosperous”, the reporters noticed that there were no calls to prayers, no people with long beards, there was no one who could say where to purchase a Koran and the 600-year-old Id Kah Mosque was turned into a tourist attraction. Requests to visit the internment camps were denied by Chinese authorities. 

Furthermore, the reporters, who were allowed to walk and film unrestricted in Urumchi, interacted with an Uyghur souvenir vendor who “wasn’t provided by the tour guides”. The vendor, who claimed to have been inside a detention camp, praised the conditions inside and how the detention helped him to eradicate “extremely radical religious ideologies”. According to Associate Director for research and advocacy at the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), Peter Irwin, the vendor’s comments fitted the Chinese government’s prescribed narrative. “They follow this narrative because of this fear and this ever-present threat of punishment for stepping out of line. People are deathly afraid of saying the wrong thing, meeting the wrong person, or communicating abroad.” 

Former EU MEP and Swedish MP, Jonas Sjöstedt, also visited East Turkistan recently, describing the Chinese oppression of the Uyghurs as “ever-present”, with heavily armed police on the streets and visible surveillance cameras everywhere. 

China Remains World’s Worst Abuser of Internet Freedom
On October 4, the US-based organisation, Freedom House, released its 9th annual report on internet freedom around the world. The report “Freedom on the Net 2023: The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence” focused on various topics, including the decline of online freedom globally; the growing number of attacks on free expression; how generative artificial intelligence (AI) threatens to supercharge online disinformation campaigns; governments use of AI to enhance and refine their online censorship;  and how democracies must adapt lessons from past internet governance challenges. 

For the 13th consecutive year, global internet freedom has declined and for the 9th consecutive year China was found to have the worst conditions for internet freedom. In order to protect the free and open internet, the report suggests the legislators collaborate with human rights experts in order to establish strong human rights–based standards for both state and nonstate actors.

PARTICIPATE

Join the #WritersSupportUyghurs Campaign
The World Uyghur Congress will host an online panel featuring several award-winning and bestselling authors on Tuesday, October 17th, 2023, in response to the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in China. More information and how to join the #WritersSupportUyghurs Campaign can be found here.

Help the World Uyghur Congress Establish an Uyghur Cultural-Centre
The World Uyghur Congress is raising funds to establish an Uyghur Cultural-Centre in Munich; a dedicated space where the Uyghur community and everyone interested in the Uyghur culture can come together to learn and preserve the rich Uyghur cultural heritage. With the generous support and help of the Uyghur community worldwide, we have already achieved 80% of the total amount needed to purchase the necessary facilities. Your support can help us to get the final 20%. Please donate and share!

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!

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 historic case.