China's Uyghur crackdown under scrutiny as forced labour, cultural erasure, transnational repression draw concern
Munich, October 18
The World Uyghur Congress has released its weekly brief highlighting China's forced labour, environmental damage, cultural assimilation and restrictions on human rights advocacy in East Turkistan.
An investigation by the Outlaw Ocean Project, published in The Globe and Mail on October 9, examined China's expanding aquaculture industry in the Taklamakan Desert.
While Chinese authorities promote desert fish farming as a technological breakthrough, the report highlighted allegations of state-backed forced labour, coerced relocations and land seizures involving Uyghurs and other Turkic groups. It also raised environmental concerns over river and lake pollution and the extensive use of antibiotics and chemicals.
Seafood processed in the region reportedly continues to reach markets in North America and Europe through international supply chains, raising questions about compliance with import restrictions, including the United States' Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
On October 12, the WUC expressed concern over Nobel Peace Prize recognition for Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, citing her tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
The organisation alleged that information identifying Uyghur and other Chinese human rights defenders was shared with Beijing during that period. Former WUC president Dolkun Isa reportedly faced obstacles in securing accreditation and accessing the UN Human Rights Council between 2012 and 2013. The WUC argued that Uyghur activists were inadequately protected during Pillay's tenure.
Meanwhile, WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun and Uyghur Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (UZDM) President Dolkun Isa attended Forum 2000 in Prague, meeting European political figures to highlight alleged abuses in East Turkistan.
In Warsaw, the organisations also discussed transnational repression at the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference and how democracies can better protect communities targeted across borders.
Separately, Asia Sentinel published an article on October 13 examining the alleged suppression of the Uyghur language and cultural identity.
Uyghur poet and rights advocate Abduweli Ayup is scheduled to present research at Sorbonne University in Paris on October 24.
— ANI
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