All Reading
This section contains a curated list of useful articles, investigations, books and other reading materials. The list is updated on a weekly basis and suggestions for additions are welcome.
Starting Points:
Activists slam Euro 2024 for Chinese sponsors’ links to Uyghur forced labor
Human rights activists have criticized organizers of the 2024 UEFA European soccer tournament for forging sponsorship contracts with Chinese companies whose supply chains have been found to use Uyghur forced labor.
Canadian ambassador’s visit to Xinjiang draws China’s ire
The Chinese Embassy in Canada said her concerns were based on “fabricated rumors and reports with ulterior motives.”
Uyghur woman re-sentenced for teaching youth the Quran
Heyrinisa Memet had been previously sentenced during a crackdown in 2014. Within days of her release, she was sentenced again on June 11 for activities which took place back in 2014.
Uyghur refugees in Pakistan face deportation in April
The 18 families don’t have legal residence and face restrictions in jobs and education – and now fear being sent back to China.
Uyghur publisher jailed for books on Uyghur independence, identity
Believed detained for publishing books about Uyghur cultural identity, Erkin Emet was sentenced to prison in 2018; his whereabouts and the length of his sentence is unknown.
Experts: China is sequencing Uyghur DNA for organ harvesting
Experts informed a U.S. committee that Chinese authorities are gathering genetic data from Uyghurs for a forced organ transplant program aimed at Muslim medical tourists from Gulf states.
Uyghur migrants see no release after a decade in Bangkok cells
After fleeing China’s persecution and entering Thailand 10 years ago, more than 40 Uyghurs remain incarcerated indefinitely in overcrowded detention centers for illegal entry.
UN rights chief calls on China to protect human rights in Tibet and Xinjiang
Activists criticized his comments as weak and not backed up by action.
Turkish media reveal identities of alleged spies for China
The suspects are accused of spying on prominent Uyghurs and Uyghur associations in Turkey and passing the information to Chinese intelligence officers.
Uyghur imam, 96, dies in prison
Sentenced to nine years in prison in 2017, the religious leader died in prison, and authorities did not turn his body over to his family, his granddaughter told Radio Free Asia.
Turkey arrests Chinese nationals suspected of surveilling Uyghurs
Authorities in Turkey have arrested six people believed to be spying on members of the Uyghur community in Istanbul for Chinese intelligence, according to media reports.
Uyghur Policy Act passes US House
The legislation would require the State Department to offer Uyghur language classes to diplomats, and place Uyghur speakers in all consulates in China.
China silencing critics in US, Congress told
Chinese critics of Beijing living in America are surveilled, intimidated and harassed by U.S.-based agents of the Chinese Communist Party if they speak out, activists told Congress.
Xinjiang is ‘one of the most heavily policed regions in the world’: study
A new report from the Uyghur Human Rights Project points out that there are twice as many Armed Police mobile attachments in Xinjiang than in Beijing, despite having only a fraction of the capital’s population.
Uyghurs mark two years since ‘genocide’ finding
Uyghur activists and U.S. lawmakers on Monday marked two years since an independent tribunal in London handed down a decision that China’s government was committing genocide against Uyghurs.
Jailed Uyghur academic Ilham Tohti nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Citing his role as “the true symbol of the Uyghur people's fight for freedom” under Chinese rule in Xinjiang, more than 180 high-level officials and experts have nominated Ilham Tohti to receive the prize.
US sanctions Chinese officials over Uyghur abuse
Three additional companies are also blocked from exporting goods to the US due to the possible use of forced labor.
Volkswagen under fire after audit finds no evidence of Uyghur forced labor
Experts on the region cast doubt on the results, saying official documents show Uyghur detainees from re-education camps were funneled to the factory.
‘Substantial volume’ of clothing tied to Uyghur forced labour entering EU, says study
The report identifies dozens of well-known brands as having “significant ties” to Xinjiang, via Chinese companies involved in forced labour transfer programmes.
Answers for imprisoned Uyghur case revealed after three months
After his niece Nefise Oghuz posted videos calling on China to release him, she eventually received several different answers for why he was in prison and the duration of his sentence.