WUC leader accuses China of using human rights forum to advance authoritarian narrative

Washington DC [US], June 15 (ANI): Rushan Abbas, Chairwoman of the WUC Executive Committee, has criticised Beijing for hosting what she described as a "so-called Human Rights Forum" while allegedly carrying out severe abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples.

Taking to X, Rushan stated, "While the Chinese government is carrying out a full-fledged genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples, Beijing is simultaneously hosting a so-called 'Human Rights Forum' as part of its broader effort to reshape international human rights norms and redefine the very meaning of human rights on the global stage to fit its authoritarian system"

Abbas also referred to the 2022 assessment by the UN Human Rights Office on Xinjiang, or East Turkistan, saying it documented allegations including arbitrary mass detention, torture, sexual violence, forced sterilisation and birth-prevention measures, forced labour, religious persecution, suppression of Uyghur culture and identity, family separation, discrimination and mass surveillance. She noted that the UN assessment concluded that some of these abuses, particularly the arbitrary and discriminatory detention of Uyghurs, may constitute crimes against humanity.

Rushan highlighted, "That is the reality of China's human rights record--a government accused by the UN of crimes against humanity is now attempting to redefine human rights for the rest of the world. Beijing has turned the term "human rights" into a mockery while seeking to position itself as a global authority on the subject."

Abbas cited the case of her sister, Gulshan Abbas, as an example of what she called China's cross-border repression. "She was disappeared and sentenced simply because I exercised my right to speak freely in the United States," Abbas wrote, adding that the case demonstrates how China's repression extends beyond its borders.

Calling on governments and institutions not to legitimise such events, Abbas said, "The world should not allow a government accused of genocide and crimes against humanity to dictate what human rights mean. Human rights belong to the victims, not to their persecutors." (ANI)

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