CFU PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 23, 2:30 PM ET

Sabrina Sohail: sabrina@campaignforuyghurs.org

(650) 703-4523

www.campaignforuyghurs.org 

Following the day-one conclusion of China’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) urges the international community to hold China accountable for its crimes against humanity and genocide in the Uyghur region.

The UPR is a unique mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which involves a comprehensive review of the human rights records of all UN Member States every five years to improve the human rights situation globally and address violations in all countries. The fourth cycle of China’s UPR continued with the Working Group session on​​ 23 January 2024 with over 160 countries submitting recommendations during China’s review. Since the last cycle in 2018, many credible reports, including OHCHR’s 2022 report concluding possible “crimes against humanity” in the Uyghur region, evidence, and leaked documents have emerged, unequivocally underlining the existential threat the Uyghur community is facing. 

As reported by the International Service for Human Rights, over 50 states have put forward numerous specific and detailed recommendations to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on pressing issues despite the PRC’s lobbying efforts seeking praise for its human rights records. The suggested actions encompass adopting the recommendations outlined in the OHCHR’s report, allowing unfettered entry to the Uyghur region and Tibet, repealing the ‘National Security’ law in Hong Kong, and putting an end to extensively documented practices such as internment and family separations in the Uyghur region and Tibet, among other measures. It is noteworthy that several developing nations expressed clear concerns despite the pressure exerted by the Chinese government.

The U.S. Mission to Geneva made eight recommendations, including a call for the release of all arbitrarily detained individuals in the Uyghur region, Tibet, and Hong Kong—many of whom were identified by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The U.S. Mission also called for an end to harassment, surveillance, and threats against individuals both abroad and in China. Additionally, the recommendations included ceasing discrimination based on culture, language, religion, or belief, along with discontinuing forcible assimilation policies, such as boarding schools, in Tibet and the Uyghur region. The U.S. also called for the termination of forced labor, marriage, birth control, sterilization, abortion, and family separation in the Uyghur region.

CFU’s Executive Director Rushan Abbas who attended the UPR session today said “We are grateful to witness that the crimes of the PRC were listed by around 30 concerned countries. This significant outcry, despite China’s persistent lies and outright denial, stands as a testament to the commitment to human rights and justice. It also sends a powerful message that the international community will not be swayed by false narratives in light of the mounting evidence exposing the crimes of the PRC. Now, the important step is to ensure that China is held to account.”  

Despite the recommendations presented, the Chinese regime continued its lies and denial of evidence exposing its human rights abuses, dismissing critiques as ‘interference’ and ‘defamation.’ The Chinese Ambassador went so far as to allege that recommendations based on findings from UN bodies were “founded on rumors and lies.”

CFU recognizes the significance of international collaboration in promoting a world where human rights are respected and protected and offers its sincere gratitude to the member states that address the genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the PRC in the Uyghur region. CFU reiterates its call on the international community to ensure that China is held responsible for its genocide and crimes against humanity in the Uyghur region.