Washington DC [US], November 22 : World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has released its weekly brief highlighting its advanced international advocacy through coordinated campaigns, high-level engagements, and growing global scrutiny of China's abuses in East Turkistan.
The week began in Berlin, where the WUC and Campaign for Uyghurs hosted the International Uyghur Women's Dialogue from 14-15 November. The gathering brought together Uyghur women leaders, survivors of China's camps, and international allies.
A landmark achievement emerged on the first day: more than 80 organisations and over 130 signatories endorsed the Berlin Declaration, a first-of-its-kind global action platform dedicated to Uyghur women's rights and freedoms.
The two-day event focused on building long-term leadership networks and reclaiming Uyghur narratives through workshops, storytelling sessions, and strategic discussions.
As the Dialogue concluded, fresh evidence of China's forced labour practices triggered global economic consequences. According to the Financial Times, Italy's imports of Chinese tomato paste have plummeted by 76%, following exposes by the BBC and others that tied tomato production in East Turkistan to state programmes of coercion, forced labour, and mislabelling of origin. With Western European demand collapsing, China is reportedly stuck with up to 700,000 tons of unsold stock.
In London, PEN International used the Day of the Imprisoned Writer to demand the immediate release of respected Uyghur author Yalqun Rozi, jailed for contributing to state-sanctioned textbooks. PEN condemned his incarceration as a direct assault on cultural expression and urged China to end its persecution of Uyghur intellectuals.
At a conference in Taiwan focused on Tibet, WUC China Affairs Director Sawut Muhammed highlighted the Uyghur genocide and China's assimilationist policies, reaffirming that self-determination must be respected for all oppressed peoples.
Meanwhile, in Canada, WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun and UZDM President Dolkun Isa strengthened partnerships through the Toronto Democracy Forum and a reception welcoming newly arrived Uyghur refugees under Canada's M62 initiative. Canadian lawmakers reiterated their commitment to protecting Uyghur communities fleeing repression.
International awareness also grew through cultural platforms. Amsterdam premiered Eyes of the Machine, a documentary exposing China's surveillance state through the testimony of survivor Kalbinur Sidik. In Washington, actor Richard Gere praised Uyghur advocacy as vital to confronting Chinese authoritarianism.
At COP30 in Brazil, WUC Vice President Zumretay Arkin raised urgent concerns about China's environmental destruction in East Turkistan, highlighting forced labour, land seizures, and resource exploitation.
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