Uyghur

The Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group primarily located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, which is in the northwest part of the country. The Uyghurs are one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China, with a population of over 11 million people. The Uyghurs are predominantly Muslim and have their own unique language and culture.

In recent years, the Chinese government has been accused of committing human rights abuses against the Uyghur population, including arbitrary detention, forced labor, and religious and cultural persecution. Reports from various human rights organizations and media outlets have alleged that up to a million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have been detained in “re-education” or “vocational training” centers. The Chinese government denies these allegations and refers to these centers as measures to combat extremism and terrorism in the region. However, many in the international community have expressed concern about the treatment of the Uyghurs and have called for an end to the human rights abuses.

 

 

Foreign court hears legal case from Uyghurs for the first time ever
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Foreign court hears legal case from Uyghurs for the first time ever

In what is believed to be the first time ever, according to ABC news, a foreign court has heard legal arguments from Uyghurs regarding forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. The case is being brought against the U.K. home secretary, HM Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency (NCA) by…

ATEST Joins 30+ Organizations to Oppose Industry Proposal that could Increase Imports of Forced Labor Products into U.S.
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ATEST Joins 30+ Organizations to Oppose Industry Proposal that could Increase Imports of Forced Labor Products into U.S.

Terry FitzPatrick October 20, 2022 The Honorable Chris Magnus Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20229 Re: Open Letter on Trade Data Transparency Dear Commissioner Magnus, The undersigned organizations and advocates write to express our collective outrage at a  recent proposal driven by industry groups as part of…

Modern slavery and legal reform in the UK: what we’re calling for
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Modern slavery and legal reform in the UK: what we’re calling for

Image credit: Mind and I, via Shutterstock. Changes in the law can transform lives. We know this because we recently celebrated the end of systematic State-imposed forced labour in Uzbekistan after a 15-year-long campaign. This is why, in the UK, we continue to call for provisions that aim to both prevent modern slavery and provide…

Tibet has fallen off the international agenda, warns expert
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Tibet has fallen off the international agenda, warns expert

By ANI NEW DELHI: British human rights activist Benedict Rogers has raised alarm over the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) treatment of Tibet and Xinjiang as its ‘laboratory’ for developing a surveillance state and sinicization of all religions throughout the country. (Editor’s note, this article explains that “sinicization” means aligning religious beliefs and faiths, of any…

Forced labor camp survivor suing British government for “dragging its heels”
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Forced labor camp survivor suing British government for “dragging its heels”

  “I’m lucky I’m in a free country now. But I can’t not think about people who I left behind. I don’t know what happened to them, what kind of horrors they have been subjected to.” Erbakit Otarbay has escaped forced labor and torture at a Uyghur Region labor camp where he had been detained…

ATEST Requests Biden-Harris Administration Dedicate $1.25 Billion to Combat Human Trafficking in Fiscal Year 2024
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ATEST Requests Biden-Harris Administration Dedicate $1.25 Billion to Combat Human Trafficking in Fiscal Year 2024

ATEST Requests Biden-Harris Administration Dedicate $1.25 Billion to Combat Human Trafficking in Fiscal Year 2024 October 5, 2022 • 12:42 pm • Terry FitzPatrick WASHINGTON – The scale of forced labor is increasing worldwide, and the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) is recommending the U.S. government increase funding to meet the growing human…

Historic call for U.N. debate on China’s treatment of Uyghurs
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Historic call for U.N. debate on China’s treatment of Uyghurs

In a historic move, the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and other countries are calling for a debate at the United Nations Human Rights Council on allegations of China’s persecution and exploitation of Uyghurs and other Muslim-majority groups in China’s Uyghur Region.   As a permanent member of the Security Council, China has never before been…

Slave-Free Alliance launches in Norway to support businesses with new Transparency Act obligations
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Slave-Free Alliance launches in Norway to support businesses with new Transparency Act obligations

Slave-Free Alliance has launched its services in Norway to support businesses with their obligations to uphold human rights and ensure decent working conditions, mandated by the new Transparency Act. Slave-Free Alliance brings an international track record of helping organisations to protect their operations, supply chains and people from modern slavery and labour exploitation. It offers…

Advocates and diplomats agree: Uyghur issue threatens U.N. credibility
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Advocates and diplomats agree: Uyghur issue threatens U.N. credibility

This past week, world leaders have assembled at the United Nations (U.N.) in New York for the annual opening of the General Assembly. While some diplomats have taken to the podium, many advocates have done the same on the streets and in the media. They have a common message: the U.N. must act on the…

CNN op-ed: Five reasons I’m optimistic despite grim new statistics on forced labor
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CNN op-ed: Five reasons I’m optimistic despite grim new statistics on forced labor

Editor’s note: there are multiple videos on the original post’s page here. Terry FitzPatrick is director of the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking, a coalition of US-based organizations working to prevent and combat forced labor and human trafficking in more than 100 countries. He is writing in his personal capacity as an expert with…