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The Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) has welcomed the United States Department of Homeland Security's decision to expand the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List by adding more than 43 entities allegedly connected to forced labour in East Turkistan, describing the move as a significant step toward strengthening accountability for companies benefiting from what it termed the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) state-sponsored forced labour system.
According to a press release issued by CFU, the newly added entities are linked to 187 identified industries and operations impacted by the CCP's forced labour programmes targeting Uyghurs. The organisation said the latest expansion represents a 30 per cent increase in the number of entities on the UFLPA Entity List and marks the single largest expansion since the legislation was enacted. As cited by the CFU press release, the United States' decision reinforces its commitment to preventing businesses from profiting from human rights abuses while continuing to access global markets. The organisation said the move also aims to stop products allegedly manufactured through forced labour from entering US supply chains. The CFU further alleged that the CCP's use of forced labour remains a central component of what it described as the ongoing genocide against Uyghurs. Citing Chinese government data, the organisation claimed that Uyghur forced labour transfers reached 3.2 million person-times in 2023, increased to 3.34 million person-times in 2024, and further rose to 3.36 million person-times in 2025. According to the press release, these figures exceed the Chinese government's Five-Year Plan target for the 2021-2025 period by 17 per cent. The organisation also referred to testimony from a former Han Chinese police officer who reportedly served in the region between 2014 and 2023. According to the CFU press release, the former officer stated that state-imposed forced labour has become more widespread while also being made deliberately harder to detect. The press release further alleged that recently introduced policies, including what it referred to as the "Ethnic Unity Law", have created a legalised system of coercion and control over communities while reinforcing ongoing human rights abuses. Commenting on the expansion of the UFLPA Entity List, CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas said the move sends "a clear message that industries connected to the CCP's forced labour crimes cannot continue to profit without consequences." "The Uyghur people have endured years of exploitation, repression, and forced labour, while businesses tied to these abuses have benefited. My innocent sister Dr. Gulshan Abbas, who is being held as a prisoner for my advocacy in the U.S. - a clear act of the CCP's transnational repression - could be making goods transferred to America. We commend continued efforts to protect supply chains from forced labour and urge other governments and companies to commit to ending complicity in these violations," Abbas said, as quoted in the CFU press release. The Campaign for Uyghurs also called on the international community to strengthen efforts to address what it described as the CCP's ongoing human rights abuses and to support policies that protect labour rights, uphold human rights standards, and promote ethical global supply chains, according to the press release. (ANI)
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