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WUC Newsletter Page 1 NEWSLETTER NO.9 a PRIL 2011

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WUC Newsletter Page 1 NEWSLETTER NO.9 a PRIL 2011 WUC Newsletter Page 1 NEWSLETTER NO.9 A PRIL 2011 TOP STORY Urgency Resolution of the European Parliament on the Situation and Cultural Heritage in Kashgar Pic: National Geographic MEDIA WORK WUC Expresses its Solidarity with Japan Letter to German Minister of Foreign Affairs WUC on Twitter FEATURED PAST EVENTS Publication of First Dutch-Uyghur Dictionary ARTICLES Tibetan National Uprising Day: Demonstration in The Hague Uyghur Newruz Celebrations World Day Against Cyber-Censorship: New RWB Report Human Rights 3rd Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy WUC Project Coordinator at Interfaith International Event Violations Meetings with UN Special Mandate Holders Against Uyghurs Uyghur Human Rights Project at Dutch Parliament Discussed Worldwide Readings for Liu Xiaobo During UN Uyghur Leadership Training Seminar, Australia WUC Secretary General in Japan Human Rights Conference on Central Asia, Berlin Council Rebiya Kadeer at Presentation of New Amnesty International Report UPCOMING EVENTS Second Uyghur Youth Meeting, Sweden New Death Exhibition Opening Sentences in Xinjiang or East Turkestan? Thoughts on the Uyghur Homeland Second Uyghur Youth Meeting in Sweden East Turkestan East Turkestan Uyghur Summit World Press Freedom Day 2011 HIGHLIGHTED MEDIA ARTICLES AND REPORTS ON UYGHUR RELATED ISSUES Tursunjan Hezim Given 7 Years Uyghur Prisoner Mehmet Eli Rozi Denied Medical Care AI Report: Death sentences and executions in 2010 HRIC Releases Whitepaper on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization MORE MEDIA ARTICLES World Uyghur Congress I P.O. Box 310312 I 80103 Munich / Germany Tel: +49 (0) 89 5432 1999 I Fax: +49 (0) 89 5434 9789 I [email protected] I www.uyghurcongress.org TOP STORY WUC Newsletter Page 2 Urgency Resolution of the European Parliament on Safeguarding Kashgar The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) on discrimination is not only violating the behalf of the Uyghur community around the Uyghurs´ right to development, but is also world applauds the Urgency Resolution on increasing social tensions. The Chinese Safeguarding Kashgar adopted today in the government’s economic discrimination European Parliament (a transcript of the against Uyghurs was one of the main root debate is available here). With this causes of the tragic July 2009 events. resolution, the European Parliament is Therefore, the destruction of Kashgar has to publicly expressing that the Old City of be framed in a larger systematic and center- Kashgar must be preserved and destruction driven plan to extinguish Uyghur culture, and halted. The ancient city of Kashgar, located to assimilate Uyghur people into Han in the very heart of the Silk Road, is not only Chinese culture in order to further the a crucial cultural site for Uyghur identity, dominance of the Chinese Communist Party but part of world civilization with its unique and to silence Uyghur voices. The absence of reflections of accumulated history, Uyghur voices on the government-leaded tolerance and cultural diversity. The Kashgar project is notorious. However, it is urgency resolution is both a clear and not surprising. As in other social and political unequivocal signal to the Chinese areas, Uyghurs´ right to freedom of authorities to uphold its responsibilities to expression and opinion has been again preserve world heritage sites like Kashgar violated in the Kashgar case. At the same and the Uyghur culture, and also to stop the time, even organizations like UNESCO, in Note: This resolution follows a ongoing human rights violations against the charge of the protection of cultural heritage, conference on the City of Uyghur population in East Turkestan. Kashgar sponsored by Frida have been silent in public instead of Brepoels MEP and convened It has almost been two years since the condemning Kashgar´s demolition. European by the Unrepresented Nations Chinese government announced the Parliament´s Urgency Resolution is therefore and Peoples Organization “Kashgar Dangerous House Reform” and also a sign to international community that (UNPO) and the Belgian subsequently advanced the demolition of Kashgar needs to be protected. Uyghur Association held on 27 Kashgar Old City. Since then, the world has January 2011 in the European WUC President Rebiya Kadeer warmly been witnessing how Old Kashgar is Parliament in Brussels. The welcomed the adoption of the resolution, disappearing step by step and it is believed conference detailed the saying that “despite Chinese government´s that the objective of 85% destruction of the ongoing destruction of what is attempts to hide the real purpose of Old City will be reached soon. Although a unique Silk Road city by the Kashgar´s demolition, the European Chinese authorities despite many voices condemned the demolition Parliament has seen through Beijing’s appeals for conservation and project from the very beginning, the Chinese intentions and told the world: Kashgar must preservation of the city, even government has not heard these voices. be saved and protected! We are deeply from within China itself. As a Instead, Chinese authorities have grateful for this support which is crucial for result of that conference, a continuously highlighted that the demolition remarkable level of cross- our work and our people”. party support was expressed of Kashgar Old City is in the best interests of Media coverage: for an urgency resolution. the Uyghur people since it aims to protect UNPO and the WUC have residents from earthquakes. In the place of European Parliament Calls to End Kashgar since then been actively traditional Uyghur housings, which have Demolition, UNPO, 16 March 2011 lobbying for the support of remained there for centuries, new this resolution within the apartment blocks are being constructed. 欧盟议会批准保护喀什古城决议 (European European Parliament. Parliament: Stop the Destruction of Kashgar), At the same time, the few remaining parts of Deutsche Welle, 10 March 2011 the old city center are converted into tourist MEPs urge China to stop the destruction of sites and Uyghurs´ cultural and religious cultural heritage, Int. Business Time, 11 March heritage is ‘disneyficated’. Uyghur 2011 population of the Old City area is Resolution Lacks Teeth, RFA, 15 March 2011 involuntarily resettled and in addition suffers from the ongoing economic and social Erdbeben-Sicherheit contra Menschenrechte: marginalization imposed by Chinese China will kulturelle Identität der Uiguren durch authorities. This systematic economic "Sanierungsmaßnahmen" zerstören, GfbV, 14 March 2011 WUC Newsletter Page 3 FEATURED ARTICLE Human Rights Violations Against Uyghur People Discussed During UN Human Rights Council The 16th session of the UN Human Rights Tibet and Xinjiang, need to be fully respected Council (HRC, 28 February – 25 March 2011) in accordance with the Chinese Constitution concluded on Friday, 25 March 2011, in and international standards. The EU Geneva, Switzerland. The World Uyghur encourages China to accelerate its efforts to Congress conveys its deepest gratitude to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and the country and intergovernmental Political Rights”. delegations, and the non-governmental The United States highlighted in its oral organisations in consultative status to the statement on item 4 that “China restricts UN that raised and discussed the Uyghurs´ religious freedom, and freedom of plight at the HRC session. expression, including on Internet. Human On 11 March 2011, during the general rights defenders, including lawyers, face debate on item 3 (“Promotion and imprisonment. Tight controls on Uyghur and protection of all human rights, civil, political, Tibetan language, religion, and culture economic, social and cultural rights, continue”. including the right to development”), the Germany proclaimed in its item 4 statement Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) that “[…] we call on China to guarantee delivered an oral statement on the arbitrary freedom of opinion and expression in its detention of Uyghur human rights defenders minority regions, in particular in Tibet and and activists, the torture of political Xinjiang, together with the protection of all prisoners like Alim Abdurehim, the son of human rights it has committed to as an well-known Uyghur human rights activist international obligation”. Rebiya Kadeer, the denial of medical care for ethnic Uyghur Mehmet Eli Rozi currently in Also the Czech Republic addressed the detention in China, as well as the systematic human rights situation in China and the economic discrimination Uyghurs are facing Uyghurs in its statement. “We welcome the today in East Turkestan. declarations of the high representative of China on their willingness to discuss human On 14 and 15 March 2011, the general rights issues and are keen to see them put debate on item 4 (“Human Rights situations into practice, for example through an that require the Council´s attention”) took inclusive dialogue on freedom of expression place, during which several country and respect to freedom of assembly in all statements referred to the Uyghurs. In its parts of its territory. In this regard, we wish oral statement, Hungary, on behalf of the to specifically call upon the Chinese EU, welcomed “the visit of UN Special authorities to address the unsatisfactory Rapporteur on the Right to Food to China in situation of the rights of national minorities December 2010, as well as the reduction in such as the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang China of the numbers of crimes carrying the Autonomous Region or Tibetan people”. death penalty, hoping that China will take further
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