CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2024, 1:00 PM
Contact: [email protected]
+1 650-703-4523
www.campaignforuyghurs.org

Washington, D.C. — Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) has unveiled a leaked audit report, sent to their Washington, D.C., address, that exposes Volkswagen’s (VW) blatant attempts to whitewash its complicity in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) genocidal policies in Urumchi. The audit, conducted by Guangdong Liangma Law and overseen by Berlin-based consultancy Löning, failed to meet the most basic international social accountability standards. Volkswagen’s claims of being cleared of forced labor allegations are not just misleading–they are part of a deliberate cover-up that implicates VW in one of the world’s worst human rights atrocities.

VW’s December 2023 assertion that their audit found “no indication of forced labor” in their Urumchi factory has now been thoroughly discredited by this leaked audit report, which CFU exclusively received in August 2024. The findings, shared with Financial Times, Der Spiegel, and ZDF, reveal that the audit ignored crucial elements of the SA8000 standard, including worker confidentiality and comprehensive interviews, which VW had previously claimed were applied. Neither Liangma nor Löning is accredited to carry out SA8000 audits. In fact, the Liangma’s law firm’s chief compliance officer, Clive Greenwood, an eccentric figure who only recently reinvented himself as a compliance officer after a long career as a pub owner, published a post featuring a picture of a pile of peanuts with the question: ‘What’s the value of an SA8000 audit in China?’ only a year before he was hired for the VW audit. These discrepancies cast serious doubt on the credibility of VW’s forced labor assessment in East Turkistan, where the Chinese government has subjected Uyghurs to genocide, forced labor, and assimilation programs.

The leaked audit shows that interviews were live-streamed to law offices in Shenzhen, directly enabling Chinese state surveillance. In addition, the report showed that only managers were asked questions related to forced labor. Volkswagen’s Urumchi plant, which operates in partnership with state-owned SAIC Motor Corporation, employs 197 staff, nearly a quarter of whom are Uyghur. However, the audit’s failure to directly question workers about forced labor practices undermines the integrity of the findings, further implicating VW in the region’s human rights abuses.

Even more disturbing is the audit’s revelation that VW’s factory in Urumchi has been actively engaged in state-mandated ethnic assimilation programs which force Uyghurs into “ethnic harmony” activities, a core component of China’s genocide. Dr. Adrian Zenz, China Director at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation uncovered in his new report that Liangma’s staff was celebrating the CCP’s 103rd anniversary by singing “Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China,” the same song Uyghurs in internment camps are forced to sing.

With these realities, it is impossible the auditing firm could engage in any independent and impartial  reporting on the reality of labor conditions. Dr. Zenz also highlights in detail how Volkswagen’s claims did not comply with SA8000 guidelines or International Labour Organization (ILO) standards.

VW’s false assurances have had real-world consequences. In December 2023, Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), a global index provider, removed the “red flag” that had prevented ESG-focused investors from buying VW shares due to concerns over forced labor. This decision was based on outright lies that VW knowingly propagated to mislead investors and the global community.

Rushan Abbas, CFU’s Executive Director, condemned Volkswagen’s actions, stating: “This is not mere oversight; it’s a deliberate, cold-blooded betrayal of basic human dignity. How many scandals must Volkswagen be involved in before it starts acting with integrity? Volkswagen’s deceit and obfuscation are a direct affront to the global human rights community and millions of victims like my sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, who remain in prisons or forced labor camps because of China’s crimes against humanity. Profiting from the exploitation and suffering of innocent people is the height of moral bankruptcy. Volkswagen must exit the Uyghur homeland now and take a definitive stand against genocide. This isn’t about a flawed audit—it’s about a corporation knowingly prioritizing profits over the lives of Uyghur people.”

Volkswagen has yet to provide a detailed response to these allegations, citing “contractual confidentiality obligations.” CFU, along with global human rights advocates, is calling on Volkswagen to do the right thing once and for all: Exit the Uyghur Region – immediately.