Highlighting the human rights abuses in Xinjiang, a photo exhibition was held by the Uyghur Association in Vienna on September 22. The photo exhibition was organised at Stephansplatz Square in Vienna. The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) President Dolkun Isa also participated in the photo exhibition and showcased pictures of people who have been kept in concentration camps and who went missing in the Xinjiang region, according to ANI.
Mevlan Dilsat, Uyghur Community President in Vienna, spoke about the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He also highlighted the inhuman conditions experienced by people who are stuck in concentration camps in China’s Xinjiang province. On September 21, Dolkun Isa met Austrian parliamentarian Gudrun Kuglun and concentration camp survivor Saraygul Sauttbay. The meeting was also attended by Green Party member Ewa Ernst Dziedzic. During the meeting, Dolkun Isa urged the lawmakers to recognise the genocide against Uyghur and called for help.
MEPs urge ICC to initiate probe into actions against Uyghur
On September 17, the East Turkistan Government in Exile said that nearly 38 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have co-signed a letter asking Karim Khan, the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), to launch an investigation into offences perpetrated by Chinese officials against Uyghur and Turkic citizens. According to ANI, the MEPs submitted the letter after the release of the latest report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which said that these actions “may constitute crimes against humanity”. In the letter, the Members of European Parliament (MEPs) wrote, “It is becoming increasingly difficult and irresponsible for those of us in elected positions to ignore this evidence… We hope that you will open this investigation urgently to pursue justice for the countless victims and deter further atrocities being committed against Uyghurs.”
UN report highlights human rights abuses against Uyghur
The human rights violations against the Uyghur and “other predominantly Muslim communities” in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) were revealed in a report released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in August. The report came nearly three months after United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet visited China in May. The report said that the violations have taken place in the context of China’s application of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategies. According to the report, China’s actions involved the use of ‘so-called Vocational Educational’ and Training Centres (VETCs), or re-education camps. The report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) concluded, “The extent of arbitrary and discriminatory detention of members of Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim groups, pursuant to law and policy, in context of restrictions and deprivation more generally of fundamental rights enjoyed individually and collectively, may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.”
Inputs from ANI
Image: AP/ANI