The Geneva gathering convened human rights campaigners, diplomats and intellectuals who spoke about the surging Islamophobia in China’s directed against Uighur Muslims and Kazakhs.
The meeting, sponsored by CAP Liberte de Conscience, Campaign for Uyghurs and Centre for Uyghur Studies
included experts from around the world, civil society leaders as well as policy makers who discussed how to take effective measures and foster international cooperation.
Mr. Abdul Hakim Idris, a senior World Uyghur Congress official painted a grim picture of the situation, mentioning that there have been mass detentions of Uighur Muslims and Kazakhs since 2014 in camps that are allegedly concentration camps.
He denounced what he called Chinese authorities’ acts like burning religious buildings such as mosques, Ruqyas, Korans along with imposition of sinicization policies that erase any trace of Uighur customs.
“Millions of Uyghur Muslims and Kazakhs are detaine in concentration camps under the pretext of radicalization. Thousands of Mosques have bee demolished shut or turned into other uses starting from 2014.
The Chinese government has burned Qurans and destroyed religious materials. In 2017, islam was declared as mental illness which should be eradicated under sinicization. Chinese architectural elements were forced into their traditional buildings,” said Abdul Hakim Idris.
Rushan Abbas, founder and executive director of WUC advocated for her people as she counted years they had spent under oppression from the CCP’s genocidal policies claiming to fight terrorism on behalf of China.
“In 1949, the CCP took our land and started oppressing us because we have rich resources which are strategically vital to them.” My people have suffered under these genocidal activities camouflaged by the CCP through anti-terrorism,” she said.
Michelle Taylor represented the United States at this session condemning China’s activities in Xinjiang on the assumption that they might be committing international crimes, including crimes against humanity.
Taylor said, “Let me be clear at the outset. We condemn in the strongest terms possible what is happening in Xinjiang which according to the High Commissioner’s assessment might amount to international crimes including crimes against humanity. The US has consistently called for PRC (People’s Republic of China) to desist from its human rights abuses in Xinjiang.”
She urged immediate action and demanded for the release of arbitrarily detained persons, stoppage of abuses of human rights as well as ending discriminatory practices in Xinjiang.
“We call for the PRC to release all arbitrarily detained individuals in Xinjiang, halt harassment, surveillance, and threats both domestically and abroad, end discrimination based on culture, language, religion or belief and abolish forcible assimilation policies. Additionally, we demand an end to forced labour, forced marriage; birth control, sterilization, abortion and family separation policies in Xinjiang” Taylor emphasised.
The event highlighted global concerns and a call for justice while underscoring the need for urgent attention towards human rights violations being perpetrate within Xingjian pertaining to dignity and rights of affected Muslims among others.
