World Uyghur Congress, 31 May 2019

The U.S. Have Urged China To Release Uyghurs in Camps to Unite With Family During Eid

On May 29, 2019, the U.S. State Department urged the Chinese government to release the 1 to 2 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in internment camps to let them reunite with  their families during the Eid holiday.

The State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said on Wednesday that the human rights abuses in East Turkistan must come to an end and the State Department calls on Chinese government to release Uyghurs and other Muslims in the region who are arbitrarily detained throughout East Turkistan.

This statement comes a week after the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a bill that holds the Chinese government accountable for its human rights abuses in the Uyghur region.

The WUC is pleased with the State Department’s statement to call China to release those arbitrarily detained in internment camps and hopes that the other states and governments to urge the Chinese government to end its crime against humanity.

Uyghur Lawyer Nury Turkel Speaks At Oslo Freedom Forum

Nury Turkel is a Uyghur rights advocate and attorney in Washington D.C. He spoke at the Oslo Freedom Forum on Monday May 27, 2019, about the dire human rights crisis in East Turkistan where 1 to 2 million Uyghrus and other Turkic Muslims are arbitrarily detained in internment camps. He warned the audience that if we don’t pay close attention to what is happening to the Uyghur people will spread to other parts of the world. Mr. Turkel was born in a re- education camp in East Turkistan, and has been advocating for the rights of the Uyghur people in this region.

China Increases Cracking Down on Muslims During Ramadan

The World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa spoke to Financial Review on how the Chinese authorities are abusing its Uyghur and other Muslim members during the holy month of Ramadan by forcing them to eat and drink before the sun down– which violates the Islamic rules for Ramadan.

“It’s distressing, and it’s insulting to our dignity,” said Mr. Isa also mentioning how Uyghur restaurant and shop owners were being forced to sell alcohol and pork otherwise they will face detention in one of the internment camps.

Uyghur Activist Rushan Abbas To Raise Uyghur Crisis in Europe

In her presentation at the Amerika Haus last night, @rushan614, Director of @CUyghurs, detailed #humanrights violations #Uighurs are subjected to in #China's #Xinjiang province. pic.twitter.com/mKPzf0y5BF

— U.S. Embassy Vienna (@usembvienna) May 29, 2019

The U.S. Embassies in Vienna and Prague invited Rushan Abbas, the director of Campaign for Uyghurs, to raise awareness for the current Uyghur crisis in these countries. Ms. Abbas spoke about the dire situation of Uyghurs in East Turkistan where more than a million Uyghur and other Muslims arbitrarily detained in internment camps. She also talked about how the Chinese government detained her older sister, doctor Gulshan Abbas, to silence her and her activism work. Ms. Abbas stressed that she will continue her activism work and speak about the Uyghur crisis everywhere she can despite the Chinese government’s effort to silence her.