CFU Commemorates the Victims of the Urumchi Fire

  • November 25, 2023

CFU PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 24, 4:00 PM ET

Sabrina Sohail: sabrina@campaignforuyghurs.org

(650) 703-4523

www.campaignforuyghurs.org

Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) solemnly commemorates the victims of the tragic Urumchi fire. On November 24, 2022, a devastating fire broke out in the Tengritagh neighborhood of Urumchi, the capital of East Turkistan, claiming the lives of at least 44 Uyghurs, including children. Although the Chinese state media reported only 10 deaths, accounts from residents indicate that the actual toll is significantly higher. 

The devastating consequences of the Urumchi fire were a direct result of the Chinese government’s stringent Zero Covid policy, which imposed severe restrictions on Uyghur communities for over 100 days. The oppressive policies implemented by the Chinese authorities, including the welded-shut doors of Uyghur homes, exacerbated the suffering of trapped Uyghurs, leading to starvation, limited access to medical care, and a surge in suicides due to isolation.

When the fire broke out, residents of the building were unable to escape as doors, including emergency exits, were welded shut. Casualties in the blaze included Qamarnisahan Abdulrahman, 48, and her four children—Shehide, 13, Imran, 11, Abdurrahman, 9, and Nehdiye, 5, among other victims. Following the tragic events, the ‘White Paper Protests’ unfolded with thousands of people across China in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan, and globally memorializing the Uyghur victims and expressing dissent against the oppressive anti-virus measures.

Despite the termination of the abusive Covid policies, the Uyghur genocide persists in East Turkistan, alongside the aftermath of the ‘White Paper Protests.’ The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persists in its oppressive treatment of Uyghurs including forced labor, cultural assimilation, and arbitrary detentions. Kamile Wayit, a 19-year-old Uyghur student, was sentenced for baseless charges of ‘advocating extremism’ due to her online sharing of a protest video. Kamile continues to be detained to this day.

CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas remarked in honor of the occasion “Today, we extend our deepest prayers and condolences to those who lost their lives in the tragic fire and to their grieving families. The Urumchi Fire is a stark reminder of the CCP’s blatant disregard for human life and its ongoing full-fledged genocide of the Uyghur people. It is crucial to hold onto the memory of this tragic event, resisting the CCP’s attempts to rewrite history.” 

CFU calls on the Chinese government to provide complete clarity on the real situation of the Urumchi fire and release all political prisoners detained due to the White Paper Protests. CFU also strongly encourages the international community to join hands with Uyghurs around the world to commemorate the victims of the Urumchi Fire and advocate for the end of the Uyghur Genocide. 

Picture of Jacob

editor-muyesser

Campaign for Uyghurs

We defend the human rights of Uyghur people and the free world by exposing and confronting the Chinese government's genocide, and empowering Uyghur women and youth in the diaspora.

Donate Now

READ MORE

Forced Labor, Coercive Land-Use Transfers, and Forced Assimilation in Xinjiang’s Agricultural Production
Located in the northwest of China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region boasts long hours of sunshine and ample water for irrigation — making the region geographically ideal for growing cotton. Cotton grown in Xinjiang, which has good coloration and long fiber, is favored in both domestic and foreign markets.
‘This Has Been Delayed For Too Long’
Source: RFA Rushan Abbas, a former broadcaster for RFA’s Uyghur Service and the director of the U.S.-based Campaign for Uighurs exile group, recently testified at the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in Washington about rights violations in northwest China’s
Uyghurs in Exile Launch Campaign Calling on China to Release Video of Missing Family Members
Source: RFA More than a dozen ethnic Uyghurs living in exile have called on China to release video of family members held in political “re-education camps” in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) after Chinese state media published what it
Tough Curbs on Burials
Source: RFA HONG KONG—Ethnic minority Uyghurs from the far-west Chinese city of Urumqi say authorities attach strict conditions when they release the bodies of Uyghurs who die in custody. Hundreds of Uyghurs were detained as part of a broad crackdown
I’ve fought China’s slow-motion genocide of Uighur Muslims. Now, my family are victims.
Source: USA Today   The world is finally waking up to the ongoing and terrifying violations of human rights against the Uighurs — a Muslim minority in Northwest China. My own family is victim to these violations. As both an American citizen and
Remarks by Ambassador Sam Brownback at Taipei Religious Freedom Conference
Remarks by Ambassador Sam Brownback at Taipei Religious Freedom Conference March 11, 2019 I would like to thank President Tsai’s comments and her for taking the time to be here out of her busy schedule. I can’t help but just
On Capitol Hill, persecuted Muslims unite to protect religious minorities’ rights
(RNS) — More than 125 members of the minority Ahmadi Muslim sect spent Monday (April 1) on Capitol Hill advocating for international religious freedom causes — particularly lending their voices on behalf of beleaguered Uighur Muslims. As part of its
As Countries Seek Trade With China, Imprisoned Uyghur Community Has Become “Collateral Damage”
China’s top trade negotiator is traveling to Washington this week as tension over trade intensifies between the two nations. President Trump is threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on nearly all Chinese imports after the U.S. accused China of

STAY
INFORMED

Add your name to our mailing list so we can keep you updated about upcoming events, speciality drives, new initiatives and more.