Munich, Germany — The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) held events on 9–10 December to mark the fourth anniversary of Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day and the Uyghur Tribunal’s final judgment, the organization said in a press release.
The WUC recalled that the independent Uyghur Tribunal was established in June 2020 at the request of former WUC president Dolkun Isa to examine allegations of atrocity crimes against Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic Muslim peoples in East Turkistan. Chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice and made up of legal experts, academics and civil society representatives, the panel held hearings in June, September and November 2021 and issued its final judgment on 9 December 2021.
According to the Tribunal’s findings, which the WUC summarized, the inquiry considered more than 500 witness submissions, testimony from over 30 direct witnesses (including a former Chinese police officer) and evidence from about 40 expert witnesses. The Tribunal concluded that the People’s Republic of China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur population.
WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun said the anniversary is a reminder that genocide is not merely a historical label but an ongoing reality for many Uyghurs. He warned that tolerating such abuses against one group undermines global security and the international order and said the Tribunal produced overwhelming evidence that the international community cannot ignore.
The WUC noted that at least ten national parliaments have formally recognized the reported atrocities, but it argued that symbolic declarations are not enough. The organization warned that China’s growing influence in international human rights bodies, and its position as the largest UN budget contributor, complicates accountability efforts.
Four years after the Tribunal’s judgment, the WUC said Beijing continues to obscure the scale of the abuses. While Chinese authorities have claimed re-education camps have closed, the WUC alleges that mass detention persists through long-term imprisonment, detention centres, forced labour schemes and labour transfers across China, and that many former detainees remain under strict, lifelong surveillance.
The organization also accused Chinese authorities of ongoing torture, sexual violence, forced labour, coercive birth-prevention measures, family separations and widespread surveillance, along with systematic destruction of religious and cultural sites in East Turkistan. The WUC said academic, NGO and allied documentation over years shows little meaningful change on the ground.
Marking International Human Rights Day on 10 December, the WUC urged governments to make the Uyghur situation a consistent diplomatic priority. Its demands include immediate closure of detention facilities and release of detainees; an end to forced marriages and mass birth-control or sterilization policies; a halt to forced labour and to imports linked to Uyghur exploitation; cessation of assimilation policies such as mosque demolitions and boarding schools; stronger measures to prevent transnational repression; and protection for Uyghur refugees and asylum seekers worldwide.
This report is based on a WUC press release and syndicated reporting.
