WUC raises concerns over Uyghur repression, forced labour and transnational intimidation

According to the WUC, the Human Rights Foundation on August 11 launched a toolkit aimed at helping vulnerable diaspora communities respond to the alleged transnational repression tactics of the Chinese Communist Party. The toolkit covers threats including digital surveillance, online harassment and intimidation at public demonstrations. WUC Vice President Zumretay Arkin also contributed to the initiative.

The WUC also condemned what it described as the intimidation of Uyghur Australians travelling to East Turkistan. Citing a recent Human Rights Watch report, the organisation said some travellers were allegedly subjected to prolonged interrogations, restrictions on their movements and pressure to provide information about Uyghur activists and language schools. The WUC called on Australia to take measures to protect Uyghurs living in the country.

Meanwhile, the WUC highlighted an investigation by the Outlaw Ocean Project into the fish farming industry in Xinjiang. The investigation focused on Xinjiang Tianyun Organic Agriculture, which is described as a major rainbow trout producer. The WUC alleged that the industry is also linked to state labour-transfer programmes and broader efforts to assimilate Uyghur and other Turkic minority communities. The company was added to the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List in August 2026.

The WUC further welcomed a Hudson Institute report urging the United States to pressure China for the release of Uyghur doctor Gulshan Abbas, who has been imprisoned since her detention in 2018.

The WUC said Abbas' case highlights concerns over arbitrary detention, freedom of expression and religious freedom, and urged Washington to step up efforts for her release and that of other Uyghur political prisoners. The WUC called for stronger international action to address these concerns and protect Uyghur communities both inside and outside China. (ANI)