World Uyghur Congress, 17 May 2019

Successful Protest Held in Norway as High-Level CCP Official Visits Norwegian Parliament

On May 15th, the Norwegian Uyghur Committee (NUK), the Tibetan community in Norway the Norwegian branch of Amnesty International held a large, successful protest during CCP Chairman Li Zhanshu’s visit to Oslo, calling on the Norwegian government to hold China accountable for its serious human rights violations against Uyghurs, Tibetans and peoples in China. While Mr. Zhanshu held a meeting with representatives of the Norwegian Parliament, chants from the protestors outside could be heard. The WUC commends the joint efforts of the NUK, the Tibetan community and Amnesty International in raising human rights concerns in China and pushing for the Norwegian government to hold China accountable. The same three organisations have planned another demonstration for today, May 17th.

The protest was a success, despite apparent attempts to disrupt it from the Chinese government. The protestors had hoped to hold their demonstration in front of the Parliament, but learned that another organisation, a CCP friendly group, the ‘Norway-Wenzhou Chamber of Commerce’, preemptively applied for permission weeks before Li Zhanshu’s visit was made public. In the end both groups held demonstrations in close proximity to the Norwegian Parliament.

Article Highlights Complicity of Western Companies in East Turkistan Crisis

Excellent reporting from the Wall Street Journal has revealed that major companies may be complicit in the crisis in East Turkistan through their use of labor or products connected with the internment camp system arbitrarily detaining over 1 million Uyghurs. The article alleges that big companies such as H&M, Coca Cola, Adidas, Kraft Heinz Co. and Gap are all involved in the long, opaque supply chains that travel through East Turkistan, which many be linked to the internment camp system or involve forced labor of Uyghurs.

This is not the first time that non-Chinese companies have been accused of not facilitating or ignoring the serious human rights crisis in East Turkistan. American Company Thermo Fischer Scientific and other US companies allegedly sold materials used in the suppression of Uyghurs by the Chinese government, including devises to collect and analyse biometric data and component for security and surveillance equipment. Badger Sports in the US was previously accused of using forced labor in East Turkistan in its production process and the company immediately stopped this behaviour after international outcry.

The WUC reminds foreign companies to be vigilant and ensure they are not complicit in the massive human rights violations being perpetrated by the Chinese government.

WUC to Hold International Conference on Washington D.C. on June 6-7

This week, the WUC issued an event announcement for an upcoming global conference in Washington D.C. From June 6-7 2019, the World Uyghur Congress in cooperation with the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), Uyghur American Association (UAA) and the Central Asia Program at George Washington University will hold a two-day international conference in Washington DC, Confronting Atrocities in China: The Global Response to the Uyghur Crisis. Proceedings will begin at 10:00 with an opening ceremony on June 6th at Capitol Hill.

The primary aim of the conference will be to bring together political leaders, international agencies, human rights activists, academic experts, Uyghur leaders and the Uyghur community abroad to provide updates on the responses underway and to collectively develop additional strategies to pressure the Chinese government to close the camps and respect Uyghurs’ and other Turkic Muslims’ fundamental rights.

If you are interested in attending the event, please register through this link and wait for confirmation of your attendance.