Munich [Germany], August 4 : The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) recently issued its weekly brief, highlighting three significant developments that reflected growing international scrutiny of China's treatment of the Uyghur people.
The brief pointed to increased political engagement in the UK, legal advancements in Argentina, and mounting concern over forced labour linked to European imports.
As detailed in the brief, the UK's Joint Committee on Human Rights has released an in-depth report revealing the expanding threat of transnational repression (TNR), a practice where authoritarian states, notably China, targeted exiled dissidents through surveillance, intimidation, and harassment on UK territory. The report found that Uyghur activists in the UK has been subjected to growing pressure, diminishing their freedom to speak publicly.
The brief said that despite the severity of the issue, the UK has not yet implemented a formal definition of TNR or a coordinated national response. The Committee has recommended urgent steps including law enforcement training, a victim support hotline, and protections against abusive legal tactics such as SLAPPs.
The WUC also highlighted findings from a new report by the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), which warned of a surge in direct air cargo routes from Urumchi, capital of East Turkistan, to numerous cities across the EU, UK, and Switzerland.
Since June 2024, as mentioned in brief, at least nine Chinese freight companies have been operating these routes, carrying goods from sectors known to be tied to forced Uyghur labour, such as apparel, electronics, and agriculture. The report emphasised that due to the Chinese government's tight control and surveillance in the region, independent verification of supply chains is not possible. WUC has called for the EU to designate East Turkistan as a high-risk area and urged the UK to publish trade data and implement targeted import bans.
In a landmark legal development, the brief reported that Argentina's highest criminal court ruled to allow a genocide and crimes against humanity case filed by Uyghur human rights advocates against Chinese officials to proceed. Previously blocked by lower courts, the case could now lead to international arrest warrants and Interpol Red Notices, offering a rare route toward accountability for senior Chinese leaders.
The Uyghur population in China, primarily based in the Xinjiang, has faced widespread human rights abuses by the Chinese government. Large number of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims have reportedly been detained in so-called "re-education camps."
Reports and investigations have detailed forced labour, mass surveillance, religious restrictions, family separations, and allegations of genocide. Chinese authorities claim these measures are counter-terrorism efforts, but international human rights organisations, governments, and UN bodies have condemned them as crimes against humanity and ethnic persecution.
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