'Uyghur Tribunal' hears allegations of rights abuses in China

A independent panel probing the plight of Uyghurs in China is currently hearing witness testimony of torture and gang rapes at Church House, London.

A four-day hearing is being to be held from June 4-7 under nine UK-based jurors of the "Uyghur Tribunal" which is hearing allegations regarding perpetrating serious crimes against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the report of which they intend to publish at the year-end.

On the second day of the hearing today, various scholars will share their research findings on Uyghur forced labour; child separation and coercive birth controls; torture and sexual violence; destruction of culture; and destruction of religious practice and heritage.

On Friday, Dr Sean Roberts, an Associate Professor in the Practice of International Affairs provided insight into the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) counter-terrorism narrative and how it relates to the allegations made by the witnesses.

"My characterization of what is happening to Uyghurs and other related Turkic Muslim peoples in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) as 'cultural genocide' emerges from my analysis of both the actions taken by the state against these peoples since 2017 and the context in which they are taking place," Dr Roberts said.

"The actions themselves are more than the implementation of a random collection of repressive policies. Rather, they form a complex of policies, which are destroying Uyghurs' sense of nationhood," he added.

The body is not affiliated with any government and the London tribunal's judgment is not binding.

Dismissing the London-based panel, the Chinese Foreign Ministery spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday had said, "The so-called "Uyghur Tribunal" is neither legal nor credible. It is just another anti-China farce concocted by a few individuals."

In September last year, the Uyghur Tribunal was launched.

The hearings were requested by the Germany-based World Uyghur Congress, the US-funded Uyghur lobby group that wants greater autonomy for Xinjiang, to "investigate ongoing atrocities and possible genocide" in the far-west China region, South China Morning Post reported.

( With inputs from ANI )

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