NEWS

Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act Severely Impacts Businesses Tainted by Forced Labour 

Recent reporting from SCMP confirmed that the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) is having a severe impact on companies sourcing from East Turkistan. Roth Capital Partners, an investment company, admitted large shipments of goods are being seized by Customs authorities and expressed concerns as a lack of proper supply-chain documents is common.

US businesses were already aware that the UFLPA would come into effect since it was signed into law in December 2021 and were warned that there would be a need to revise their supply chains.

Moreover, SCMP reported on July 12 that China was directly buying cotton from East Turkistan as the market value significantly decreased to 15.990 yuan per tonne. The current market price contrasts with the 24.000 yuan per tonne of last year’s autumn season. These events show that effective regulations against forced labour do have an impact and can be helpful to deter human rights abuses if implemented across markets. 

China’s Xi Jinping visits East Turkistan  

This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Urumchi for the first time since 2014. The visit was once again part of the CCP’s propaganda efforts to silence international criticism of the genocide policies against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims. 

Beijing’s claim that the crackdown on Uyghurs was set in place for security reasons contrasts with the reality on the ground: “[The visit] certainly is a symbol that Beijing feels firmly in control of the region. That there isn’t a concern about any attack or instability,” told researcher Adrian Zenz to RFA. The visit had the goal to show that “he doesn’t care about the serious concerns of the international community regarding China’s ongoing genocide of Uyghurs.” added the World Uyghur Congress (WUC)’s Ilshat Hassan Kokbore. 

The World Uyghur Congress issued a press release warning against the risks involving this recent visit.

‘’This visit raises serious concerns, because the last time Xi Jinping visited East Turkistan, he laid out the system that would be responsible for the ongoing Uyghur genocide’’, said WUC President Dolkun Isa in reaction to the visit.  

China uses Muslim holidays for propaganda purposes
On July 11, Chinese state media shared a video of Uyghurs dancing in the streets during the Eid al-Adha holiday. China has been repeatedly reported to organise staged events like this one, particularly in moments of significant international attention. During the celebrations of Eid al-Fitr, Kashgar residents stated that authorities paid Uyghurs to dance and participate in the state media recordings. This is just one of the methods of Chinese authorities to coerce locals to help whitewash atrocity crimes. Due to the lack of transparency and accessibility to the region, the international community is learning that these videos are not to be trusted. 

The World Uyghur Congress is Hiring 

The WUC is looking for a full-time Parliamentary Coordinator to be based in Munich or Brussels. This full-time position includes responsibilities such as drafting parliamentary questions, developing advocacy projects, or preparing submissions for international institutions. The deadline to submit an application is July 31st. For more information, including how to apply, click here.

PARTICIPATE

Students for a Free Tibet Summer Camp

Students for a Free Tibet is organising their second cross-movement Action Camp, which will take place between August 21-28 in Dusseldorf. This is a great opportunity for Uyghur activists interested in learning more about cross-movement campaigns.
For those interested in applying, more information is available here. 

Ask Volkswagen to Close Plant in East Turkistan.

Despite growing evidence of the ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess continues to hold on to the VW plant in East Turkistan. The World Uyghur Congress is collecting signatures to demand Volkswagen close down its plant in Urumchi. Please sign here.