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Business Standard
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Global Human Rights Groups slam China's ongoing crackdown on lawyers at UN
A coalition of global human rights organisations has expressed grave concerns during the 59th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the ongoing persecution of human rights attorneys in China, commemorating the tenth anniversary of China's "709 Crackdown." As reported in a press release by the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), the oral statement was presented by Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) and supported by Amnesty International, the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute, Lawyers for Lawyers, and the Law Society of England and Wales. The crackdown started on July 9, 2015, when more than 300 lawyers and legal advocates were targeted by police in China, marking the largest organised suppression of legal professionals in the nation's recent history. The WUC release notes that the statement highlighted that human rights lawyers in China continue to endure harassment, disbarment, imprisonment, and incessant surveillance. The organisations pointed out several specific cases, including lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has been forcibly disappeared since 2017, and Ding Jiaxi, who received a 12-year prison sentence in 2023 merely for attending a private meeting with fellow lawyers. The statement also indicated that the families of detained lawyers frequently face hardships as well, losing their jobs, homes, and access to education, while enduring travel restrictions and constant monitoring. As mentioned in the WUC release, the NGOs voiced their concern over the escalating repression of other human rights defenders, including Tibetans, Uyghurs, and residents of Hong Kong. The organisations also condemned China's increasing use of transnational repression to silence dissent beyond its borders. The coalition urged the global community to take substantial actions to hold China accountable for its violations. "Torture is universally condemned under international law," the organisations stated, urging the UN Special Rapporteur and member states to implement stronger measures against these abuses. The statement also received backing from 16 other NGOs, including the Uyghur Human Rights Project, CIVICUS, China Aid, Safeguard Defenders, and the Taipei Bar Association Human Rights Committee.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
"Unbroken" launch reinforces urgency of Uyghur human rights crisis
Rushan Abbas presenting her book to Markus Rinderspacher, vice-president of the Bavarian State Parliament (Image credit: X/Rushan Abbas) Uyghur human rights activist Rushan Abbas officially launched her powerful memoir "Unbroken": One Uyghur's Fight for Freedom at the European Uyghur Summit, held in Munich. The launch was marked by a heartfelt reading and powerful statements of solidarity from global dignitaries and advocates. The memoir, authored by Abbas--who serves as the Executive Committee Chair of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU)--chronicles her personal journey, the ongoing atrocities against the Uyghur people, and her tireless fight for justice and freedom. — RushanAbbas (@RushanAbbas) In a post on X, Abbas wrote, "Today marked the opening of the East Turkistan/Uyghur National Summit, organised by the @UyghurCongress and co-hosted by @CUyghurs alongside other allied organisations." She also shared a personal milestone from the summit: the presentation of her memoir to Markus Rinderspacher, vice-president of the Bavarian State Parliament. "We are deeply grateful for his support of the Uyghur cause and his commitment to human rights," Abbas added. One of the event's most poignant moments came as Abbas read from the memoir's final chapter, A Letter to the Uyghur Diaspora--a heartfelt message of resilience, unity, and hope. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 지금 차면 가장예쁜 기부팔찌 유니세프 지금 기부하기 Undo The summit was attended by a distinguished roster of supporters and partners, including David Baxendale of Oneworld Publications, Niclas Butz, Ambassador to the Health Innovation Exchange, and Dolkun Isa, former President of the World Uyghur Congress. Each voiced strong support for Abbas's work and reaffirmed the global importance of advocating for the Uyghur cause. Campaign for Uyghurs, a leading NGO dedicated to promoting human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of East Turkistan and ending the Uyghur genocide, shared highlights of the launch on X. "We were deeply honoured to mark the European launch of Unbroken at the Uyghur Summit in Munich, surrounded by members of the Uyghur diaspora from across the world, trusted friends, advocates, and international delegates," the organisation posted. The European launch of Unbroken underscores a growing international awareness of the Uyghur struggle and reflects a broadening coalition of allies committed to justice, human dignity, and the defence of basic freedoms. The Uyghur population in China's Xinjiang region has faced severe and systematic human rights violations under the Chinese government. Since 2017, over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been arbitrarily detained in so-called "re-education" camps, where reports of indoctrination, torture, and abuse have emerged. Authorities have enforced mass surveillance, restricted religious and cultural practices, and separated children from families. Evidence also links Xinjiang to forced labour programs, with Uyghurs coerced into working under oppressive conditions. Furthermore, China's birth prevention policies targeting Uyghur women have raised serious concerns about demographic suppression. International organisations and several governments have labelled these acts as crimes against humanity, with growing calls for accountability and global action to end the repression and protect Uyghur rights.
Irish Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
How the Chinese government monitors its citizens in Ireland
When Naria Zyden travelled from her home in Dublin to a conference in Sarajevo she became aware that two Chinese men were following her. They were on her plane and they travelled to the hotel where she was staying. The conference was the World Uyghur Congress and she was there to represent the Irish Uyghur Cultural Association which she had founded in 2024 as a way to bring Irish Uyghurs together. She was not entirely surprised. Zyden is a Uyghur, a Turkic Muslim from Xinjiang – a minority that has been subjected to massive surveillance and repression by the Chinese government over the past decade. The mother of three who has lived in Ireland since 2009 and is an Irish citizen, gets calls from the security services in China complaining about her political activities and suggesting she work with them. READ MORE Her contact with her elderly mother in China is, she says, severely curtailed and monitored by the authorities. Moving away to live and work in Dublin has not protected her from the reach of the Chinese Communist Party. She explains how this impacts on her life and her determination to give a voice to the millions of Uyghurs in China who cannot defend themselves. Irish Times journalist Colm Keena with his colleagues at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has been investigating how the Chinese government monitors its citizens abroad for a major new report called China Targets. He explains how Irish citizen Naria Zyden became the victim of transnational repression. Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
