CFU PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 10, 2024, 9:00 AM 

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https://campaignforuyghurs.org

Washington, D.C. – Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) welcomes the passing of a landmark resolution by the European Parliament on the unjustly imprisoned Uyghurs, notably Professor Ilham Tohti and Dr. Gulshan Abbas. The resolution was debated on October 9, 2024, and the text was adopted today with an overwhelming majority of 540 votes in favor.

The resolution, proposed by a broad consensus of five groups—EPP Group, S&D Group, ECR Group, Renew Group, and Verts/ALE Group—strongly condemns the PRC’s human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups, as well as in Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China. It demands the immediate release of Professor Ilham Tohti, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and all individuals arbitrarily detained.

The adopted text of the resolution urged the European Union (EU) and its Member States to implement sanctions, suspend extradition treaties, and address transnational repression, calling for an end to China’s “crimes against humanity” in the Uyghur region. It also welcomed the EU’s forced labor regulation and emphasized its full implementation, calling on businesses operating in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), particularly in East Turkistan, to comply with their human rights due diligence obligations.

Ms. Miriam Lexmann, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) opened the debate and remarked, “During these days, the PRC is commemorating 75 years since its establishment…75 years of terror, oppression, and suffering…This house, as the first EU institution, recognized our naivety towards this regime and has been fundamental in shifting the EU’s attitude towards the totalitarian regime. The [PRC] is committing crimes against humanity against Uyghurs, Tibetans, and other ethnic groups and sowing its terror and oppression across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. This is why we must continue to call for the immediate release of Ilham Tohti, Gulshan Abbas, and all those countless names imprisoned by the regime and hold the regime accountable.”

“Today we pay tribute to a Sakharov Prize laureate, Ilham Tohti, an Uyghur human rights defender who has been in a Chinese prison for ten years with a life sentence, and Gulshan Abbas, who was sentenced to twenty years for her sister’s criticism of the Chinese regime’s oppression of the Uyghurs. This is a very grim reality of Communist China, where Beijing is in a quest for global hegemony, and uses the harshest methods against human rights defenders, dissidents, and ethnic minorities,” noted MEP Petras Austrevicius during the debate.

MEP Erik Marquardt stressed the need to apply economic as well as political pressure on China to end its human rights abuses. “As a German citizen, I find it a great shame that companies such as Volkswagen are not in the position to recognize these human rights violations,” he stated.

MEPs Raphael Glucksmann, Lara Magoni, Rima Hassan, Sebastião R. Bugalho, Hermann Tertsch, Engin Eroglu, Catarina Vieira, Thijs Reuten, Seán Kelly, and EU-Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn also debated the resolution, emphasizing the need for the EU to take immediate action in response to the plight of the Uyghur people.

Reflecting on this significant occasion, CFU’s Executive Director Rushan Abbas stated, “Today marks an important milestone in our pursuit of justice for my sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Professor Ilham Tohti, and the countless Uyghurs who are enduring the PRC’s ongoing genocide. By adopting this resolution, the European Parliament demonstrated its commitment to human rights and democracy. However, our struggle is far from over. The Member States must unite to ensure accountability for the PRC’s crimes and end the suffering of the Uyghur people.”

CFU urges the international community to take concrete steps to hold the Chinese government accountable for its ongoing genocide against the Uyghur people. We call on the EU Member State governments and legislatures to follow the European Parliament’s example and call for the release of all Uyghurs unjustly imprisoned by the Chinese government, implement meaningful sanctions against perpetrators of crimes against humanity, and stand up for the fundamental rights of Uyghurs and other persecuted people. Together, we must amplify our voices to ensure justice is served and bring an end to these crimes against humanity.