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The World Uyghur Congress (WUC), in its monthly brief, spotlighted a series of significant advocacy breakthroughs and international initiatives throughout August, highlighting growing global momentum to hold China accountable for its human rights abuses in East Turkistan (Xinjiang). From legislative measures in Washington to legal action in Australia, the Uyghur cause is gaining massive international support.
According to WUC, in Washington, US lawmakers introduced a bipartisan package of bills, including the Preventing the Forced Return of Uyghurs Act, designed to protect Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities from forced repatriation to China, where they risk detention, torture, or enforced disappearance. Complementing this is the Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act (UGASA), backed by five Uyghur organisations. The bill calls for sanctions on individuals involved in forced labour, organ harvesting, and surveillance, and would bar US government procurement of goods linked to Uyghur forced labour. The World Uyghur Congress also highlighted a major step forward in the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The US Department of Homeland Security has added steel, copper, lithium, caustic soda, and red dates from China to its high-priority inspection list, signalling tougher scrutiny of imports connected to forced labour networks in East Turkistan. The Centre for Uyghur Studies (CUS), a WUC affiliate, released a groundbreaking report titled Exposing China's Propaganda Campaigns in MENA. The study reveals Beijing's extensive disinformation strategies in Arabic-speaking countries, including the use of fake social media accounts, economic leverage, cultural diplomacy, and religious outreach to undermine Muslim solidarity with Uyghurs. In Japan, the Japan Uyghur Association organised a symposium, The Reality and Challenges of China's Cross-Border Repression, featuring prominent voices such as Professor Maiko Ichihara and Human Rights Watch's Teppei Kasai. With around 100 participants and coverage by NHK and Sankei Shimbun, the event underscored Japan's growing awareness of China's transnational repression, as highlighted by WUC. Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women's Association (AUTWA) for filing a landmark lawsuit against Kmart over alleged forced labour ties. Led by AUTWA President Ramila Chanisheff, the case is a groundbreaking step toward corporate accountability in Australia, where no forced labour import ban currently exists, according to WUC. (ANI)
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