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:
UK ministers ready ban on health goods from China’s Xinjiang
U.K. ministers are preparing to ban the government from buying health goods made in China’s Xinjiang region, amid mounting pressure from Conservative MPs over Beijing's treatment of the Uyghur people.
US, Chinese diplomats square off on Twitter over human rights, jailed Uyghur
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield sparked a social media spat with her Chinese counterpart on Wednesday after she called on the head of the U.N. Human Rights Council to release an overdue report on rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.
Exclusive: Former Xinjiang prisoner arrives in U.S. as key witness to abuses
A Christian Chinese national who spent 10 months in a Xinjiang detention camp has arrived in the United States after months of behind-the-scenes lobbying by U.S. lawmakers, human rights activists and international lawyers.
Relatives of detained Uyghurs forced to work in Xinjiang factories
Hundreds of family members of detained Uyghur residents of a small community in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region have been forced to work in local government-run factories, a source with knowledge of the situation and a local police officer said.
Uyghurs in exile grapple with discussing genocide in Xinjiang with their children
It’s never easy for teenagers and children to discuss tragedies in their families, nor is it easy for parents to broach such topics with their offspring. Uyghurs, who are being persecuted as an ethnic and religious group by the Chinese government, face a common challenge of figuring out how best to talk with young people about the 21st-century atrocities occurring in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region.
Prominent Uyghur journalist said to be serving 15 years for ‘political crimes’
A prominent Uyghur journalist who went missing in November 2017 is serving 15 years in prison in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region for “political crimes,” his son and authorities in the region told RFA.
Saudi Arabia: Uyghur girl, 13, among four ‘facing deportation’ and torture in China
Saudi authorities must immediately release four Uyghurs – including a 13-year-old girl and her mother – who are at grave risk of being taken to repressive internment camps if sent back to China, Amnesty International said today amid fears that deportation plans for the group may already be under way.
Chinese officials restrict number of Uyghurs observing Ramadan
Chinese authorities in Xinjiang are restricting the number of Muslims allowed to observe the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, drawing heavy criticism from rights groups that see the government directive as the latest effort to diminish Uyghur culture in the region.
‘The Energy of Freedom’? - Solar Energy, Modern Slavery and the Just Transition
This report explores the link between modern slavery and solar energy. Many of the materials critical to solar panels come from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where they may be made with state-sponsored forced labour.
Ministers face revolt over anti-genocide amendment
MPs and peers want to ban the use of NHS funds to buy goods from regions, such as Xinjiang in China, in which there is a “serious risk of genocide”. Between March and June 2020 the Department for Health awarded contracts worth £245m to three companies linked to human rights abuses in the north-western Chinese province of Xinjiang
An overview of the atrocities against Uyghur Muslims
An overview of the atrocities taking place in Xinjiang and information on re-education campaigns, sexual violence, forced labour and actions you can take to support Uyghurs.
Beyond Silence: Transnational Repression of Uyghurs
This report assesses the growing scale of repression of Uyghurs in the Arab states as China’s relations there have strengthened.
Unpacking the Crisis in Xinjiang: James Millward on China's Assimilationist Policies and U.S.-China Engagement
James Millward discusses PRC ethnicity policy, China's crackdown on Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang province, and the implications of the Xinjiang crisis for U.S. China strategy and China's international relations.
Uyghur volleyball coach gets 8 years in jail for ‘befriending bearded men’
A national-level Uyghur volleyball coach is serving an eight-year prison sentence for “befriending bearded men,” under a deepening crackdown on Islamic practices and culture, a Uyghur living in exile and a local police officer told RFA. Alimjan Mehmut’s name is also on a list of Uyghur torchbearers for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games who have been imprisoned in recent years, caught in a wider crackdown on the ethnic minority group.
China’s crackdown on Uyghurs reaches the Arctic
During his final month in Xinjiang, before he set off for Europe, Memettursun Omer’s Chinese handlers threatened him. They told him how they “dealt” with people who went to the west on intelligence missions and then severed contact with the authorities. “Wherever you go, we can always take you back. You have no other way except to work for us,” they said.
U.N. rights boss to visit China in May, including Xinjiang, but activists demand report
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday that she has reached an agreement with China for a visit, "foreseen" in May, and that she had raised with Beijing the arrests of activists to support their freedom of expression. Her visit would include a stop in the remote western region of Xinjiang, she told the Human Rights Council.
‘I don’t know if they’re alive’: Uyghurs in Europe fear for families back home
Three individuals share tales of missing relatives amidst protests against China’s persecution of the community.
‘I don’t know if they’re alive’: Uyghurs in Europe fear for families back home
Three individuals share tales of missing relatives amidst protests against China’s persecution of the community.
Amazon is reportedly using Chinese suppliers with ties to forced labor
Amazon is allegedly employing suppliers in China with links to forced labor, according to a report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP). The report accuses Amazon of continuing to work with these suppliers, despite evidence of their association with Uyghur labor camps.
Uyghurs Stand With Ukrainians
Uyghurs stand with Ukrainians against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on their precious land. We stand with Ukrainians because Uyghurs cherish freedom and understand what it takes to protect it. Uyghurs stand with Ukrainians because our authoritarian oppressor, Xi Jinping, is a key enabler in the tragedy unfolding in eastern Europe. All of us who have our liberty must do better in ending the nightmares of people under assault, wherever they are.