WUC weekly brief highlights UN warning, transnational repression and Uyghur disappearances

Washington, DC [US] September 13 (ANI): The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has released its weekly brief, highlighting attention to ongoing human rights abuses in East Turkistan, Beijing's campaign of intimidation against Uyghurs abroad, corporate complicity in forced labour, and the unresolved disappearance of Gulshan Abbas.

At the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's 60th session on September 8, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that fundamental freedoms are facing "unprecedented threats" worldwide. While reaffirming continued engagement with Beijing, Turk noted that no progress has been made in protecting Uyghurs, other Muslim minorities in East Turkistan, or Tibetans in their regions. The WUC emphasised that despite repeated UN references to East Turkistan, the situation remains unchanged and requires stronger international action to end what it calls an ongoing genocide.

On September 2, Centre for the Study of Organised Hate contributor Scarlett Gamble interviewed WUC Vice President Zumretay Arkin, who described the methods China employs to silence Uyghur activists overseas. These include threats to family members, harassment calls, digital surveillance, spyware, hacking, infiltration of diaspora communities, and smear campaigns through deepfakes and gender-based slander. Arkin cautioned that online disinformation is increasingly combined with real-world intimidation and misuse of global policing tools such as Interpol Red Notices.

Another major concern is corporate links to forced labour. An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Pulitzer Centre revealed that Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz are being coerced into working in shoe factories in Jinjiang. This hub produces one in five pairs of trainers globally. International brands such as Nike, Skechers, Vans, and Timberland were connected to suppliers participating in forced labour schemes. While some companies have shifted production to Vietnam, trade records suggest that raw materials linked to Uyghur labour continue to enter global supply chains, potentially undermining the enforcement of the US Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act.

The WUC marked seven years since the disappearance of Uyghur physician Gulshan Abbas, who was detained by Chinese authorities in 2018. Her case remains emblematic of countless enforced disappearances. The WUC reiterated calls for her immediate release and urged the global community to act decisively against China's abuses. (ANI)

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