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The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has raised concerns over alleged human rights abuses in East Turkistan, including forced labour linked to desert fish farming, the suppression of the Uyghur language and culture, and transnational repression targeting Uyghurs and other human rights defenders, according to its weekly brief.
The brief highlighted an investigation by the Outlaw Ocean Project, published in The Globe and Mail on October 9, examining China's expanding aquaculture operations in the Taklamakan Desert. While Chinese state propaganda reportedly presents the initiative as a technological "Blue Miracle", the investigation raised concerns over alleged state-sponsored forced labour involving Uyghurs and other Turkic groups, coercive relocations and land seizures linked to state-associated entities, including the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC). The report also highlighted environmental concerns, including pollution of mountain rivers and lakes and the extensive use of antibiotics and chemical treatments. According to the WUC brief, seafood processed in East Turkistan continues to enter supply chains in North America and Europe through intermediaries, raising questions about compliance with forced-labour import restrictions, including the United States' Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The weekly brief also referred to a statement issued by the WUC on October 12, expressing concern over the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay. The organisation questioned her record as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, alleging that the sharing of the names of Uyghur and other Chinese human rights defenders with Beijing exposed them to risks. Among those affected, the WUC said, was former president Dolkun Isa, who faced difficulties obtaining accreditation and accessing the UN Human Rights Council between 2012 and 2013. On international advocacy, the brief reported that WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun and Uyghur Centre for Democracy and Human Rights President Dolkun Isa attended Forum 2000 in Prague. They met Czech and German political representatives to raise awareness of alleged ongoing abuses in East Turkistan. The delegation also met Belarusian democratic leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman. The WUC and the Uyghur Centre for Democracy and Human Rights subsequently organised a panel discussion titled "Transnational Repression: R2P in Democracies" during the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. The discussion examined how democracies could strengthen international cooperation and protect individuals and communities facing cross-border repression. The brief further cited an October 13 article by Asia Sentinel on the alleged forced erasure of the Uyghur language and culture. Uyghur poet and human rights advocate Abduweli Ayup is scheduled to present research on linguicide and family separations at Sorbonne University in Paris on October 24. According to the research cited in the brief, state-run boarding kindergartens restrict children's use of Uyghur, while surveillance and coercive policies contribute to language loss. Ayup documented 47,000 children separated from their families in Kashgar County alone. The brief also highlighted concerns over China's Ethnic Unity Law, which took effect on July 1 and, according to critics cited by the WUC, could accelerate the assimilation of ethnic minorities and restrict freedom of expression among diaspora communities. Through these developments, the WUC weekly brief underscored continuing concerns over human rights, cultural preservation and the international response to alleged abuses affecting Uyghurs in East Turkistan. (ANI)
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