Hundreds of thousands of Uyghur female religious leaders are estimated to have been arrested and imprisoned in Xinjiang since 2014, with some elderly women detained for practices that took place decades ago, according to an analysis of leaked Chinese police files. There is growing evidence of the abusive treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population of the north-west Chinese region of Xinjiang, with their traditions and religion seen as evidence of extremism and separatism. New analysis of leaked police files found more than 400 women – some more than 80 years…
Tag: Uyghurs
Report: Global Carmaker Supply Chains Exposed to Xinjiang Forced Labor
Taipei, Taiwan — A new report finds that some global carmakers are applying weaker human rights and responsible-sourcing standards to their joint ventures in China due to pressure from the Chinese government. The lax standards increase the risk of exposing supply chains to forced labor from China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region, where more than 1 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have been subject to mass internment and other forms of persecution. According to the report from Human Rights Watch, titled Asleep at the Wheel, several major global carmakers, including Volkswagen,…
Nearly Half of Journalists Jailed in China Are Uyghurs, Report Says
washington — Nearly half of the 44 journalists imprisoned in China in 2023 were Uyghurs, according to a report released Thursday. Data from the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ — which offered a global snapshot of journalists jailed for their work as of December 1 — found China had the most media workers imprisoned. The high proportion of Uyghurs detained in the country highlights the intersection between Beijing’s poor press freedom record and its human rights abuses against the majority-Muslim ethnic group, analysts said. An examination of the cases…
Thermo Fisher stops sale of DNA kits in Tibet after activists raised fears of rights abuses
The US biotech company Thermo Fisher has halted sales of its DNA identification kits in Tibet, nearly five years after it made a similar commitment about the sale of its products in the neighbouring western Chinese region of Xinjiang. It decided to stop sales in Tibet after months of complaints from rights groups and investors that the technology may be used in a way that abuses human rights. The company said that the decision was made in the middle of 2023, but it was only revealed to investors late last…
Academic paper based on Uyghur genetic data retracted over ethical concerns
Concerns have been raised that academic publishers may not be doing enough to vet the ethical standards of research they publish, after a paper based on genetic data from China’s Uyghur population was retracted and questions were raised about several others including one that is currently published by Oxford University Press. In June, Elsevier, a Dutch academic publisher, retracted an article entitled “Analysis of Uyghur and Kazakh populations using the Precision ID Ancestry Panel” that had been published in 2019. The study by Chinese and Danish researchers used blood and…
‘I can’t sing any more’: The survivors of China’s prison camps in Xinjiang – in pictures
Since 2014, millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other minorities have been locked up in China and subjected to torture and forced labour. Some of those released talk about trying to rebuild their lives in neighbouring Kazakhstan Photography by Robin Tutenges The Guardian
At least 20% of NHS suppliers at ‘high risk’ of modern slavery use, review says
Over a fifth of NHS suppliers providing items including surgical instruments, gloves, gowns and face masks are at “high risk” of using modern slavery, according to a government review. Nearly half of all NHS suppliers of gowns and uniforms are based in China, which also provides the bulk of all masks. The finding is included in a review of 1,361 suppliers to the NHS, conducted by the Department of Health and Social Care, following a government commitment to eradicate modern slavery from the healthcare system. The review highlighted specific areas…
Uyghur News Recap: Dec. 8–15, 2023
Washington — US Restricts Imports From 3 More Chinese Firms Amid Forced Labor Allegations The United States has imposed import restrictions on three additional Chinese companies, including COFCO Sugar Holding, over allegations of forced labor practices involving Uyghurs and other minorities in China’s Xinjiang region. The companies, involved in the production of sugar, network transformers and textiles, will be added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, bringing the total number of companies to 30. The U.S. government has reviewed more than 6,000 shipments since June 2022 as…
‘Substantial volume’ of clothing tied to Uyghur forced labour entering EU, says study
A “substantial volume” of clothing tainted by the use of Uyghur forced labour is entering the European Union market, according to a report, as campaigners say the EU’s checks are not doing enough to weed out coercive work from large supply chains. Dozens of well-known brands including H&M and Zara are identified as being at high risk of sourcing materials, particularly cotton and PVC, made by Uyghurs compelled to participate in state-imposed labour transfer programmes, according to a report from Uyghur Rights Monitor, Sheffield Hallam University and the Uyghur Centre…
Uyghur News Recap: Nov. 10-17, 2023
Washington — Chinese Diplomat Engages with US Lawmakers, Media Executives A top Chinese official who denied China’s alleged genocide against the Uyghurs met November 2 with top executives at Condé Nast, a major U.S. media company. Huang Ping, China’s Consul General in New York, discussed the growth of the Chinese market, according to Condé Nast’s website. Matchmaking App Raises Concerns of Han-Uyghur Assimilation A Chinese company in Xinjiang has launched a matchmaking app encouraging inter-ethnic marriages between Uyghur women and Chinese men, sparking concerns among experts about Beijing’s broader efforts…