Weekly Brief May 25th
World Uyghur Congress, 25 May 2018
WUC Urges German Chancellor Merkel to Publicly Raise Mass Internment of Uyghurs During China Visit
In anticipation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s official visit to China from 24-25 May, the WUC issued a press release strongly urging the German government to publicly raise China’s abysmal human rights record, especially the mass arbitrary detention of 1 million Uyghurs, when meeting with Chinese officials.
Numerous world leaders have failed to raise human rights issues with their Chinese counterparts and to hold China accountable for its flagrant abuses. The WUC calls on Chancellor Merkel to break this trend by showing the courage and leadership to stand up to China and be a strong voice for human rights on the international stage.
We urge Chancellor Merkel to raise the issue of these indoctrination camps with the Chinese government. China must know the world is watching what is happening to the Uyghur people and will not sit idly by while an entire people and culture is at risk of being totally assimilated.
Uyghur Children and Parents Forced to Abstain from Fasting During Ramadan
The Chinese authorities are reportedly forcing Uyghur students and their parents to sign pledges that they will not fast during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan in a bid to further undermine the religious traditions of the Uyghur People.
This marks an even further escalation of restrictions placed on the religious freedom of Uyghurs and their right to peacefully observe Ramadan.
The Chinese government has been targeting the younger generations of Uyghurs with brainwashing and cultural assimilation aimed at eroding the ties to religion, culture and the Uyghur identity among the next generation.
Elderly Uyghur Woman Dies in ‘Re-education’ Camp
An elderly Uyghur woman has reportedly died from health complications while in arbitrary detention in a so-called ‘re-education’ camp in the Ili Kazakh (in Chinese, Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture.
A source told Radio Free Asia that she died as a result of being “unable to cope with the pressure and terrible conditions” at the facility.
The elderly face rough treatment at their hands of their overseers in the camps and endure poor diets and unhygienic conditions in the often overcrowded facilities—circumstances that can lead to severe complications for people already vulnerable to health issues associated with age.
There is a growing trend of elderly Uyghurs dying in Chinese custody in mysterious circumstances or due to neglect. Earlier this year, Muhammad Salih Hajim, and 82 year old scholar and religious leader also died in a ‘re-education’ camp in mysterious circumstances.
Uyghur Pop Star Believed to be Detained in a ‘Re-education’ Camp
Ablajan Ayup, a well-knownUyghur pop star in East Turkistan, has been missing since February 15th and is believed to currently be detained in a ‘re-education’ camp, according to Radio Free Asia. Ayup is 34 years old and is known as the “Uyghur Justin Bieber”. He wrote songs about education and the Uyghur identity and had worked to bridge the divide between the Uyghurs and the country’s Han Chinese majority.
He may have been detained because he had once travelled to Malaysia, one of the many of countries authorities say are off limits to Uyghurs because of the risk of “extremist” Muslim indoctrination. Others suggested that he had been targeted for his work with a charity that benefited Uyghurs, or because of his love for Uyghur heritage.