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:
The Xinjiang Emergency: Exploring the causes and consequences of China's mass detention of Uyghurs
The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is the site of the largest mass repression of an ethnic and/or religious minority in the world today. Existing reportage and commentary on the crisis tend to address the various forms this takes in isolation, but this ground-breaking volume brings them together, exploring the interconnections between the core strands of the Xinjiang emergency in order to generate a more accurate understanding of the mass detentions' significance for the future of President Xi Jinping's China.
Citing Xinjiang, EU commits to ban forced labor goods but is divided on how to do it
The European Union is moving forward with plans to outlaw goods made using forced labor, senior officials said, citing allegations of widespread uses of such practices in the Chinese region of Xinjiang. The ban was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in September ― a surprise move that caught other parts of the EU unaware. Since then, von der Leyen has said little on the issue and, according to people familiar with the situation, provided very little guidance on how it should be implemented.
'My hell in Beijing's sterilisation camp' by Gulbahar Haitiwaji
“Like more than one million other Uighurs, I was imprisoned in a Chinese ‘re-education’ camp. The camps, which China describes as ‘schools’, claim to ‘eradicate Islamist terrorism from Uighur minds’. In reality, they aim to eradicate an entire ethnicity. I am neither a separatist nor an Islamic terrorist – just a mother – but on the basis of a nine-minute trial, I was sentenced to seven years of ‘re-education’.”
Uyghur Tribunal Judgment - Parliamentary Debate
A transcript of the 22nd January 2022 debate in the House of Commons regarding the Uyghur Tribunal judgment and what the government is doing in response to the Tribunal’s findings.
French parliament passes motion condemning China 'genocide' against Uyghurs
France's parliament passed an opposition-led motion asking the government to condemn China for "crimes against humanity and genocide" against its Uyghur Muslim minority and to take foreign policy measures to make this stop.
Beijing 2022 official warns against violations of 'Olympic spirit’
Behaviour by athletes that violates the Olympic spirit or Chinese rules could be subject to punishment, a Beijing 2022 official said, after rights groups voiced concern about the safety of competitors if they protest at next month's Games.
The Big Business of Uyghur Genocide Denial
A New Lines investigation reveals a network of charities funneling millions into left-wing platforms that take Beijing’s side on the genocide allegations — and they’re all connected to an American tech magnate.
Hugo Boss And Other Big Brands Vowed To Steer Clear Of Forced Labor In China — But These Shipping Records Raise Questions
Amid rising tensions and the approaching Beijing Olympics, the US banned Xinjiang cotton last year. But Hugo Boss still took shipments from Esquel, which gins cotton in Xinjiang.
New U.S. Measures on Xinjiang Produced Goods to come into Law June 2022
From June 16, 2022, any company wishing to import goods to the United States from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region will have to demonstrate with “clear and convincing evidence” that the imports do not include forced labour in its supply chain. The new piece of legislation will last 8 years or until the President determines the Xinjiang human rights issues resolved.
Uyghur woman sentenced to 14 years for teaching Islam, hiding Qurans
Uyghur woman sentenced to 14 years for teaching Islam, hiding Qurans.
Uyghurs in Turkey file criminal complaint against Chinese officials
Nineteen people from China's Uyghur Muslim ethnic group filed a criminal complaint with a Turkish prosecutor on Tuesday against Chinese officials, accusing them of committing genocide, torture, rape and crimes against humanity. Lawyer Gulden Sonmez said it was necessary because international bodies had not acted against Chinese authorities, who have been accused of facilitating forced labour by detaining around a million Uyghurs and other primarily Muslim minorities in camps since 2016.
Tibetan monks, local residents forced to watch destruction of sacred statue
Authorities in China’s Sichuan province last month forced Tibetan monks and other local residents to watch the demolition of a large and venerated Buddha statue following official complaints that the statue had been built too high, Tibetan sources said.
Elon Musk: Tesla criticised after opening Xinjiang showroom
Electric car maker Tesla has been criticised in the US after opening a showroom in China's controversial Xinjiang region. The company, headed by billionaire Elon Musk, opened the showroom in the city of Urumqi on New Year's Eve.
Tory peer to lead boycott of Coca-Cola over role in Beijing Winter Olympics
A Tory peer has vowed to lead a boycott of Coca-Cola products over the company’s sponsorship of the 2022 Beijing Olympics, saying its bid to profit from an event organised by the Chinese government was shameless.
Muslims in the West embrace the Uyghur cause
Over the past year, Muslim organizations in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and elsewhere have become outspoken advocates for Uyghur Muslims, who are experiencing genocide at the hands of the Chinese government.
In 2022, The World Must Hold China to Account for Genocide
A focus on imposing consequences on those responsible is key to dismantling the apparatus of genocide. The accountability of Chinese officials responsible for a 21st century genocide is critical for the future of the Uyghur people.
Baerbock demands forced-labor ban, won’t attend Olympics
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for an EU-wide import ban on goods made with forced labor — a demand that would particularly hit China. Baerbock also said she won't attend the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. Yet she made clear that her decision was personal and not the official line of the German government, and that German foreign ministers usually don't attend Olympic games.
What can we expect from Xinjiang’s new Party boss Ma Xingrui?
As global pressure on Beijing mounts because of its repressive policies in Xinjiang, the Communist Party has brought in a new man to lead the region.
Uyghur forced laborer died at factory in China’s Xinjiang, officials say
A Uyghur woman who had been interned in a detention camp in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region died of a stomach ailment in September 2020 while performing forced labor at a sock factory adjacent to the internment facility, RFA has learned.
How I escaped a Chinese internment camp
Zumrat Dawut is a mother of three from Ürümqi, the capital of the Xinjiang autonomous region in China. In 2018, she was arrested and sent to a detention facility for Uyghur women where she said she endured brutal living conditions and beatings. This comic, featuring art by Fahmida Azim, tells Zumrat's story.