Munich [Germany], December 9 (ANI): The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) on 9–10 December marked four years since the establishment of Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day and the Uyghur Tribunal’s final judgment, honoring victims of what it calls an ongoing Uyghur genocide, a WUC press release said.
The WUC said the Uyghur Tribunal was launched in June 2020 at the request of its former president, Dolkun Isa, to document alleged atrocity crimes by China against Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic Muslim peoples of East Turkistan. The independent panel, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice and composed of legal experts, academics and civil society representatives, investigated claims of genocide and crimes against humanity.
WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun was quoted saying, “9 December reminds us that genocide is not an abstract historical concept, it is a daily reality Uyghur people continue to endure.” He said the Tribunal presented overwhelming evidence that the world can no longer ignore and warned that permitting genocide against one group threatens global security and the international order.
The Tribunal issued its final judgment on December 9, 2021, after hearings in June, September and November 2021. Its findings drew on more than 500 witness submissions, testimony from over 30 direct witnesses—including a former Chinese police officer—and input from 40 expert witnesses. The Tribunal concluded that the People’s Republic of China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people, the WUC said.
The WUC noted at least ten national parliaments have formally recognized these atrocities but warned that symbolic recognition alone is insufficient as China increases its influence within international human rights institutions and has become the UN’s largest budget contributor.
Four years on, the WUC alleges China continues to whitewash the genocide. It said that despite claims that re-education camps have closed, mass detention persists through long-term imprisonment, detention centres, forced labour schemes and labour transfers across China, with many former detainees subject to strict, lifelong surveillance.
The WUC further alleged ongoing torture, sexual violence, rape, starvation, forced labour, coercive birth-prevention policies, family separation and pervasive mass surveillance. It also accused Chinese authorities of systematically destroying religious and cultural sites across East Turkistan and said the situation on the ground remains unchanged despite years of documentation by academics, NGOs and allies.
Marking 10 December, International Human Rights Day, the WUC stressed the global duty to protect human dignity and fundamental freedoms. It urged governments and policymakers to prioritise the Uyghur issue in all diplomatic engagements with China and called for immediate closure of all detention facilities and release of detainees; an end to forced marriages and mass birth-prevention policies; a halt to forced labour and imports tied to Uyghur exploitation; an end to cultural assimilation policies such as mosque destruction and boarding schools; stronger mechanisms to counter transnational repression; and protection for Uyghur refugees and asylum seekers worldwide.
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