Campaign for Uyghurs commemorates Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day anniversary

By European Times | Dec. 13, 2024 | 2 Min read

This event, held in Geneva, aims to shed light on the Uyghur people’s plight, amplify the voices of victims and their families, and foster a global dialogue on justice and accountability.

Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) solemnly commemorates the third anniversary of Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day, coinciding with the 76th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. On December 9, 2021, the independent Uyghur Tribunal in London declared, based on extensive evidence and testimonies from experts, camp survivors, diaspora members, human rights advocates, and even a former Chinese police officer from Urumchi, that the Chinese government’s actions in East Turkistan constitute genocide, the gravest crime recognized under international law.

This conclusion has been echoed globally. The U.S. government, along with over ten national parliaments, has recognized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. In August 2022, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) corroborated evidence of widespread abuses—including torture, arbitrary mass detentions, and family separations—concluding that these acts “may amount to crimes against humanity.”

Despite the overwhelming evidence, the Uyghur genocide persists. Research shows that the CCP has sentenced Uyghurs to a collective total of 4.4 million years in prison. State-enforced Uyghur forced labor, highlighted in Dr. Adrian Zenz’s research, is projected to continue through at least 2025, with links to industries such as seafood and pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the CCP’s assimilation policies have endangered Uyghur cultural heritage, with hundreds of villages renamed to align with state ideologies, erasing religious and historical references integral to Uyghur identity.

Reflecting on these anniversaries, CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas emphasized: “Today serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing human rights atrocities faced by the Uyghur people and the global failure to uphold the promises of the Genocide Convention. The independent tribunal’s determination of genocide demands immediate action. Empty words without decisive measures undermine the Convention and our commitment to ‘Never Again.’ The international community must act now to stop the ongoing Uyghur genocide.”

CFU reaffirms its solidarity with the Uyghur community and calls upon all nations to honor the Genocide Convention’s core mission: to prevent and punish the crime of genocide. The situation in East Turkistan underscores the urgent need for accountability and meaningful global action.

In observance of Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day, CFU, in collaboration with the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, International Service for Human Rights, and the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva, has organized Stories of the Disappeared: A Film Screening & Panel on Uyghur Human Rights. This event, held in Geneva, aims to shed light on the Uyghur people’s plight, amplify the voices of victims and their families, and foster a global dialogue on justice and accountability.