World Uyghur Congress highlights rights violations in China's Xinjiang region

Washington, DC [US], December 11 (ANI): The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has released its monthly brief, highlighting the unprecedented global outreach, advocacy breakthroughs, and tangible progress in its campaign to hold China accountable for its ongoing persecution of Uyghurs in East Turkistan.
The month began with the East Turkistan National Day on November 12, reaffirming the resilience of the Uyghur struggle. The WUC marked a milestone in Uyghur women's empowerment through the International Uyghur Women's Dialogue, thereby strengthening gender representation in the global movement.
In a landmark move, a WUC delegation travelled to Brazil, becoming the first Uyghur organisation to take part in COP30, where it raised the issues of Uyghur forced labour and environmental destruction in East Turkistan within the framework of the just transition movement.
The WUC's participation highlighted the intersection between climate justice and human rights violations under China's oppressive policies.
The organisation's advocacy extended across Asia and Europe. In Japan, WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun and former President Dolkun Isa attended the Japan Uyghur Parliamentary Association General Assembly at the House of Representatives Members' Office Building.
More than 30 lawmakers, including Chairman Keiji Furuya, discussed introducing a Japanese version of the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act to ban imports linked to forced labour in East Turkistan. Japan's leading daily, Sankei Shimbun, provided detailed coverage, reflecting rising political resolve against Beijing's exploitative practices.
At the United Nations, WUC Vice President Zumretay Arkin made several interventions during the UN Business and Human Rights Forum and the UN Forum on Minority Issues, exposing China's transnational repression and systematic forced labour. Despite repeated attempts by Chinese delegates to silence her, her statements drew even greater attention to the Uyghur cause.
The WUC also joined hands with Don't Fund Russian Army (DFRA) to file a lawsuit in Spain's National Court against Huawei, Hikvision, and Dahua for aiding China's mass surveillance of Uyghurs.
Capping the month, Uyghur advocates celebrated a symbolic yet significant win: a 76% drop in China's tomato paste exports to Italy, signalling growing global resistance to forced-labour-linked supply chains. (ANI)