The Uyghur Crisis: ’s Laboratory of Rights Abuses

CONFERENCE REPORT The Uyghur Crisis:

China’s Laboratory for Rights Abuses

World Uyghur Congress | December 2020

The Uyghur Crisis: China’s Laboratory of Rights Abuses

WUC Headquarters

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The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is an international organization that represents the collective interests of the Uyghur people in both East Turkestan and abroad. The principle objective of the WUC is to promote democracy, human rights and freedom for the Uyghur people and to use peaceful, nonviolent and democratic means to determine their future. Acting as the sole legitimate organization of the Uyghur people, the WUC endeavors to set out a course for the peaceful settlement of the East Turkestan Question through dialogue and negotiation.

The WUC supports a nonviolent and peaceful opposition movement against Chinese occupation of East Turkestan and unconditional adherence to internationally recognized human rights standards as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It adheres to the principles of democratic pluralism and rejects totalitarianism, religious intolerance and terrorism as an instrument of policy.

For more information, please visit our website: www.uyghurcongress.org

The Uyghur Crisis: China’s Laboratory of Rights Abuses

CONFERENCE REPORT

The Uyghur Crisis: China’s Laboratory for Rights Abuses

December 2019

The Uyghur Crisis: China’s Laboratory of Rights Abuses

implications for global security and human SUMMARY rights as this technology is now being exported around the world. On December 10th, International Human Rights Day, the World Uyghur Congress While Uyghur society has been subjected to (WUC), in cooperation with the this repressive and invasive technology, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Uyghur bodies and organs have also been Organisation (UNPO), held a successful repeatedly tested and harvested. Predating the media training workshop for Uyghur activists camp system, the Chinese and a day-long conference entitled ‘The government had already started to forcibly Uyghur Crisis: China’s Laboratory for Rights collect blood and other biometric data from Abuses’ in Brussels, Belgium. . This only accelerated with the implementation of the internment camp It was the aim of this event to bring together system. Nearly every camp survivor has various experts with human rights groups, testified they were forcibly subjected to researchers, policy-makers, and Uyghur medical examinations and forced to take pills leaders to discuss the issue of the region of and other unknown medication while in East Turkistan (and the Uyghur people) used detention which resulted in a range of as a laboratory for Chinese policy and negative side effects. technological development. A growing body of evidence has also pointed The current crisis in East Turkistan has seen the fact that Uyghur prisoners and camp an estimated 1.5-3 million innocent Uyghurs, detainees were having their organs harvested Kazakhs and other ethnic Turkic peoples and sold by Chinese officials. The complete arbitrarily detained in internment camps, absence of oversight or accountability in the which constitutes a crime against humanity. camps laid the perfect conditions for organ The Chinese government has targeted Uyghur harvesting to flourish. This abhorrent practice culture, language, religion, history and ethnic has persisted throughout China for many identity in a campaign of mass social years, often targeting perceived enemies of reeningeering and cultural genocide. Uyghurs the Chinese governments and vulnerable are unable to enjoy their most basic rights and segments of society. Despite the severity and freedoms and the region has been described extend of this practice, very little attention has by the UN Committee for the Elimination of been paid to the issue by the international Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) as a ‘no media or policy makers. rights zone’. By hosting this conference in the heart of the In the context of these ongoing atrocities and , the WUC and its partners in the complete absence of transparency, have sought to shine a light on these accountability or justice, the Chinese dehumanizing policies and practices and to government have used the Uyghur people as mobilize greater awareness and a willingness guinea pigs for a series of repressive and to take concrete action in the EU. dehumanizing policies. The Chinese government and affiliated Chinese companies This conference was organized into thematic have used the ongoing crisis to test and four panels focused on detailing the situation pioneer a dystopian system of security and on the ground, providing concrete evidence surveillance technology on the Uyghur for organ harvesting and focusing on people to monitor and control the Uyghur providing concrete recommendations for population. This is already having major further action.

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membership-based organization established The conference began with an introductory to empower the voices of unrepresented and session held in the European Parliament and marginalized peoples worldwide and to hosted by Member of the European protect their fundamental human rights. The Parliament Raphael Glucksmann from the peoples represented within the UNPO S&D political group, with the remaining three membership are all united by one shared panels being held at the Université Libre de condition: they are denied equal Bruxelles (ULB). representation in the institutions of national or international governance. As a The remaining three panels of the conference consequence, their opportunity to participate were held at the ULB campus in Brussels and on the national or international stage is were focused on the use of organ harvesting limited, and they struggle to fully realize their and repressive security and surveillance rights to civil and political participation and technologies, as well as their implications for to control their economic, social and cultural the EU and other states. Panelists were development. In many cases, they are subject encouraged to give concrete, action- to the worst forms of violence and repression. orientated recommendations on what was The WUC was a founding member of UNPO needed to effectively address and counter and works closely with the organization, these serious human rights violations. especially with regards to its activities in Brussels.

ABOUT THE Raphael Glucksmann MEP

ORGANIZERS Mr. Raphael Glucksmann is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing World Uyghur Congress France. He is a member of the Socialist and Democrats (S&D) political grouping in the The World Uyghur Congress is an European Parliament and is the Vice international organisation that represents the President of the European Parliament’s collective interest of the Uyghur people both Subcommittee on Human Rights. Mr. in East Turkestan and abroad. The WUC was Glucksmann assisted with facilitating the established in April 2004 in Munich, opening session of this conference in the Germany, after the East Turkestan National European Parliament, hosting the event and Congress and the World Uyghur Youth delivering a keynote speech. Mr. Glucksmann Congress merged into tsone united and his team have been outspoken on the organisation. The main objective of WUC is Uyghur human rights crisis and human rights to promote the right of the Uyghur people to issues around the world more generally, use peaceful, nonviolent, and democratic raising attention and pushing for concrete means to determine the political future of East action. We thank Mr. Glucksmann and his Turkestan. The WUC has been supported in team for their role in making this conference part by the National Endowment for a reality. Democracy.

Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization

The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) is an international

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Panel 1: Opening Session Moderated by: • Ryan Barry, WUC Policy Coordinator at the European Parliament Speakers included: • Raphael Glucksmann MEP The conference began with an opening • Dolkun Isa, President of the WUC session held in the European Parliament and • Lucia Parrucci, Advocacy Officer for hosted by Member of the European UNPO Parliament Raphael Glucksmann from the • Enver Tohti, Former Surgeon and S&D political group. Activist Against Organ Harvesting • Olsi Jazexhi, Journalist This first panel sought to introduce and raise • Sophie Richardson, Head of the China further awareness of the current crisis in East Desk for Human Rights Watch Turkistan in the European Parliament and • Andrea Ngombet, Human Rights among European decision-makers. This Activist and Head of Sassoufit session took a broad approach to the topic and Collective included a range of voices looking at different angles of the crisis. MEPs, human rights activists, medical experts, politicians and Raphael Glucksmann MEP representatives of the Uyghur diaspora attended the session to discuss the issue of the Member of the European Parliament Raphael region of East Turkistan (and the Uyghur Glucksmann, who hosted the opening session people) used as a laboratory for Chinese of the conference at the European Parliament, policy and technological development.

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opened the conference with a powerful He concluded his opening remarks by noting speech. that the Uyghur crisis and China’s lack of respect for human rights had significant Raphael Glucksmann MEP has been one of implications for the entire international the strongest and most outspoken voices in community, saying: the European Parliament about the atrocities being committed against the Uyghur people “By defending the Uyghurs today and on human rights in general. or Tibetan or the Hongkong Mr. Glucksmann MEP acknowledged the demonstrators we are also severity of the crisis and lamented the lack of defending ourselves tomorrow.” an adequate response from the international community. He noted that many democracies remained silent on the issue and that Muslim Dolkun Isa states had even supported China’s crackdown. He stated that even in the WUC President Dolkun Isa then delivered European Parliament, some political groups some introductory remarks to the participants had remained absent on the issue. Despite the of the conference and thanked all those resolution passed on the issue, there was not present for their attention and concern, enough solidarity with the Uyghur people. especially those who had travelled long distances to participate. Mr. Isa also thanked He continued, noting the European the co-organisers of the event, Mr. Parliament’s decision to award Ilham Tohti Glucksmann and the Unrepresented Nations the 2019 Sakharov Prize. However, this is not and Peoples Organisation for their work and enough, he stated, and he called for action. assistance. The EU must pressure the Chinese governments and we must pressure our own Mr. Isa began his speech by introducing the governments on the issue. His own central idea of the conference and its main government, the French government, had objectives. The conference, he said succeeded failed to raise the issue with their Chinese in bring together health and medical experts counterparts in bilateral meetings. He stated: with human rights groups, researchers, policy-makers, and Uyghur leaders to discuss “This cannot last. At a point we the CCP’s numerous human rights violations have to ask ourselves what are the and use of organ harvesting and testing of principles we stand for. (…) Are we repressive technology on the Uyghur people. to say that all men are equal in The conference allowed us to present eye- witness testimony and expert analysis of the rights, expect Uyghurs? Or except Uyghur crisis at a European level and to with countries with whom we have develop strategies to pressure the Chinese big contracts?” government to close the camps and stop their repressive policies. Now, he asserted, the The issue was about human solidarity with time has come to step up our activities to people in the camps and a nation that was defend Uyghur human rights even more being erased from the map. vocally.

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Mr. Isa continued, noting that the year Lucia Parrucci marked the 70th anniversary of the founding Lucia Parrucci spoke on behalf of the of the People’s Republic of China, which for Unrepresented Nations and Peoples the Uyghur people meant 70 years of Organisation (UNPO), who had helped to repression. However, the current situation cosponsor this conference. faced by the Uyghur people was unparalleled in scale and severity as the Uyghurs faced a The WUC is a founding member of the systemic attack on everything that makes the UNPO and works closely with the Uyghur people unique. He went on to organisations and its members to collectively summarize the current crimes against defend human rights and promote solidarity humanity being perpetrated against the between marginalized and persecuted groups. Uyghur people and asserted that, despite the The WUC and UNPO have a successful increasing awareness of the current crisis, 1- partnership in raising the issue of the Uyghur 3 million Uyghurs remain arbitrarily detained crisis in the European Parliament in in internment camps in one of the largest mass particular. As such, Ms. Parrucci spoke about arbitrary detentions in modern history. He the role of the European Parliament and the stated that the oppressive security and necessary response to the Uyghur crisis in her surveillance measures made life in East remarks. Turkistan unbearable, as Uyghurs were constantly monitored. Ms. Parrucci reflected on how the awareness of the Uyghur crisis and the Uyghur people He therefore emphacized that the upcoming had increased dramatically in the European discussions must always have a focus on Parliament in recent years, due particularly to concrete action. We must ask ourselves, how the important work of activists and NGOs. can we stop the use of this technology and The European Parliament has taken a number stop the spread of this repressive technology of important measures to address the Uyghur around the world. crisis, especially the internment, including passing 3 resolutions relevant to the situation He continued, expressing gratitude to the EU in East Turkistan in the past 2 years, an and national governments for the actions they increasingly vocal EEAS and the individual had take to address the crisis thus far, but actions of MEPs. She stated: made clear that real, concrete action was necessary to bring an end to the suffering of “We really need to use the momentum the Uyghur people. He asserted: to make sure that all the countries “Human rights must be at the which are part of the EU will forefront of the EU’s relationship understand how serious the situation with China, not an afterthought. is.” (…) The time for silence on our A key part of the growing momentum on the suffering is over”. Uyghur issue, was the decision of the European Parliament to award the 2019 to Uyghur professor and economist Ilham Tohti, who is currently facing life imprisonment for trying to foster peaceful interethnic dialogue between Uyghurs and Han Chinese and

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raising Uyghur human rights concerns. The answers and that many gave the same answers Sakharov Prize is the top human rights award as if recited from memory. from the European Parliament and the His conversations with detainees and decision to honor Ilham Tohti with the award experience of the staged tour began to make signalled a strong show of support and his suspicious of the true purpose of the recognition from the European Parliament to camps and the intentions of the Chinese the Uyghur cause. government. As he probed further, he was able to ascertain that detainees were not able to freely practice their religion, were being Olsi Jazexhi held against their will and were being Olsi Jazexhi then took the floor to discuss his subjected to indoctrination. Despite the fact personal experiences in actually visiting an that it became increasingly obvious that the internment camp in East Turkistan, as part of Chinese government was lying, his fellow one of the CCP’s propaganda tours. Mr. journalists were happy to accept the CCP’s Jazexhi, a journalist from Albania, is one of narrative and refused to delve deeper. the few journalists invited on the propaganda Mr. Jazexhi informed attendees of the tours to not recite the CCP’s narrative on the conference that in this trip, he observed an camps exactly. His experiences not only intentional strategy from the Chinese provide us with important information about government to eradicate Islam and the the camps themselves, but also about the Uyghur ethnic identity in the camps. He no Chinese government’s attempts to hide their longer believed that the camps were atrocities. vocational training centres and the Chinese Mr. Jazexhi recalled that he initially had been government claimed. After returning from the skeptical of reports that millions of Uyghurs trip, Mr. Jazexhi has been active in publishing were being detained in internment camps and sharing the truth about what he observed against their will and wanted to see for in the internment camps. He has since come himself what the truth of the situation was. under increasing pressure from the Chinese After publicly voicing his skepticism, he was government. invited by the Chinese government to His testimony provides further evidence on participate in a tour of a camp with a the nature and purpose of the internment contingent of other journalists, mostly from camps. It also demonstrates the willingness of Muslim-majority countries. certain governments and journalists to look Journalists brought on these staged tours are the other way on the crisis in East Turkistan, told by their Chinese handlers that the camps despite the abundance of evidence facing were a vocational training centre to provide them education and professional skills to Uyghurs and to stem extremist tendencies. Much to the annoyance of his handlers, Mr. Jazexhi spoke Sophie Richardson and interviewed many of the detainees, Sophie Richardson, the head of the China asking them questions about if they were able desk for Human Rights Watch, then presented to freely practice their religion, to pray and to the research and findings of the organisation enjoy related rights and freedoms. He noted on the Chinese government’s use of that detainees were afraid to give honest

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dystopian security and surveillance The mobile application allows law technology to monitor and control the Uyghur enforcement officials to access and collect people. IJOP data, to add information to database, and it to send out orders to police and other state In a series of reports, Human Rights Watch agencies to follow up on individual cases has produced ground-breaking research on within the same day. Also, with the help of the methods and strategy of the Chinese the IJOP app, government officials collect government in this regard. In the absence of individuals’ data during home visits, on the oversight, accountability or respect for basic streets, in “political education camps”, during rights and due to the disregard for Uyghur registration for travel abroad. According to lives, the Chinese government has tested and Human Rights Watch’s report these platforms implemented a sophisticated monitoring and use artificial intelligence to designate Uyghur surveillance system in East Turkistan that is individuals into these categories, perpetuating now being exported around the world. racial bias and prejudice built in to the “The consequences of these system. [surveillance] technologies are clear Ms. Richardson made clear that this and devastating.” technology not only constituted a clear violation of the most basic rights of the This system relies heavily on the use of Uyghur people and severely constrained their innovative artificial technology and big data freedom, but also presented a clear danger to to monitor, catalogue and analyze human rights around the world. This information about the lives of Uyghur dystopian surveillance technology, after individuals. It revolves around the use of the being tested and implemented to monitor and Integrated Joint Operations Platform (IJOP) control the Uyghur people, is now being to create an ecosystem of social control and exported to other regions in China and to monitoring. It collects, aggregates and other countries around the world. analyzsed a vast amount of information about Uyghur individuals and uses artificial intelligence to determine who might be a Andrea Ngombet ‘threat’. Information is fed into the IJOP from a variety of sources, including CCTV Andrea Ngombet, a prominent anti- cameras, wifi sniffers and through an kleptocracy advocate from Congo and head of application used by Chinese police at the the Soussafit Collective also offered words of numerous checkpoints and roadblocks across support to the Uyghur people and called on East Turkistan. Through this the Chinese the international community to take further government tracks where Uyghurs have been, action. their electricity usage, license plates, where He remarked on the horrific situation in East they have been, banking, legal records, Turkistan, which is threatening the very religious observance, biometric data and existence of the Uyghur people. He noted the almost every aspect of Uyghur daily life. It CCP’s attempts to eradicate Uyghur religion, uses this to make a comprehensive profile of culture, history and ethnic identity and each individual to make predictions about denounced China’s totalitarian actions. Even their tendencies and behaviours. by China’s own account, he asserted that the motive to fight terrorism cannot justify the

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incarceration and brainwashing of millions of traced back to the 1990s, when he was a individuals because of their religion and surgeon at the Railway Central Hospital culture. He labelled China’s actions against Urumchi, East Turkistan. He said that in the the Uyghur people as a crime against summer of 1995, he was instructed to remove humanity. the liver and kidneys of a recently executed Uyghur prisoner, a man in his 30s. However, To conclude, he denounced the decision of when he started to make the decision it the Congolese government to sign a letter in became clear that the prisoner had not yet the UN supporting China’s policies in the died and his heart was still pumping blood. region. He noted the silence of non-Western He was told to proceed by his superiors and democracies on the issue and called on them extract the organs. Mr. Tohti recalled that the to find their voice, saying: procedure took 30-40 minutes and he was “China is severely undermining the instructed to never speak of what happened. international system [...] We need Mr. Tohti then went on to explain that this to fight back, led by an alliance of horrific practice only has increased in recent non-western democracies.” years, with Uyghurs being targeted in particular. He showed a range of evidence indicating the widespread and systematic use of the practice including photo of special lines Enver Tohti at airports in East Turkistan, specifically for Enver Tohti, a former surgeon and activist people who had flown in for organ transplants introduced the topic of organ harvesting and advertisements for ‘halal organs’ (organ pillaging) and summarized the history extracted from Uyghurs, aimed at Muslims in and current status of the use organ harvesting need of organ transplants. He also noted the in East Turkistan. mass collection of Uyghur blood samples and DNA by the Chinese government since 2016 Allegations of organ harvesting of Uyghur also indicates mass organ harvesting may be prisoners and detainees have been present for occurring. decades, but the recent crisis in East Turkistan has caused considerable concern for its expanded use. The complete lack of transparency, accountability or oversight in the camps and prisons in East Turkistan present the perfect conditions for organ harvesting to be perpetrated on a large scale, against a vulnerable population, with impunity.

Mr. Tohti has firsthand experience with organ harvesting in China. He had worked as a surgeon in China before eventually fleeing the country and was forced to remove extract the organs from a prisoner. He stated that organ harvesting in East Turkistan can be

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decisive action on the issue in the past, a number of experts, researchers, scientists and medical professionals have undertaken

groundbreaking research and investigations Panel 2: Organ Harvesting to find the truth about organ harvesting in in East Turkistan: East Turkistan and the rest of China. In order to lay out the concrete evidence of organ Summary of Evidence harvesting and associated abuses in China, this panel assembled a number of key experts The second panel of this conference was held working on this topic to present their findings at second location, at the Universite Libre de and credible evidence about the scale and Bruxelles (ULB). Addressing the atrocity of nature of organ harvesting in China and the organ harvesting has faced numerous culpability of the Chinese government. challenges due to the complete lack of transparency and limited information about Panelists included: the practice in East Turkistan and the rest of China. Much like its policies regarding the Hamid Sabi (lawyer and Counsel to the internment camps, the Chinese government China Tribunal on organ harvesting) takes active measures to hide the scale and Enver Tohti (former surgeon and activist nature of these atrocities to prevent any against organ harvesting) efforts towards justice and accountability. (former Canadian cabinet Recognizing that credible evidence and minister, Member of Parliament, prosecutor, information about organ harvesting has lawyer, author, columnist and human rights inhibited policy makers from taking more advocate)

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Maya Mitalipova (Director, Human Stem groups. However, the Tribunal was unable to Cell Laboratory, Whitehead Institute for definitively establish a specific intent to Biomedical Research, Massachusetts destroy the groups in whole or in part, which Institute of Technology) is a necessary condition for violation Article 2 of the UN Genocide Convention. Hamid Sabi With regards to Uyghurs specifically, the Mr. Hamid Sabi, as the Counsel to the China Tribunal then looked at two central Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ questions: Harvesting in China (the China Tribunal), introduced the work and findings of the China 1. Is forced organ harvesting being Tribunal to start of the panel. perpetrated against Uyghur detainees and prisoners of conscience? The China Tribunal was a remarkable 2. Are crimes against humanity being achievement in quest to establish truth and perpetrated against Uyghurs. examine evidence in a neutral, legal context on the question of forced organ harvesting in With regards to the second question, the China. It was organized by the End Tribunal found that the Chinese government Transplant Abuse Coalition and was chaired was indeed committing crimes against by the prominent lawyer Ser Geoffrey Nice humanity. This opinion was expanded upon who has been a deputy prosecutor at the trial in March 2020 when the full judgement of the of Slobodan Milošević in the International China Tribunal was covered. Although it Criminal Tribunal for the Former could not conclude that genocide was being (ICTY), along with six other members. perpetrated against the Uyghur people, it did conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that It has come to form the most comprehensive crimes against humanity had occurred. It also collection of evidence and testimonies on the was able to determine that torture had use of forced organ harvesting in China, with occurred in the context of crimes against a specific focus on its use against humanity, with the same certainty. and Uyghur detainees. Its central goal was to consider if international crimes had been On the first question, the China Tribunal perpetrated in this context, including recognized that compelling evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity. forced organ harvesting against Uyghurs existed, but could not conclude, beyond a The China Tribunal first convened on reasonable doubt, that it was occurring. December 8, 2018 and again in April 2019 to further explore the issue. The Tribunal Mr. Sabi noted the utility of the China consisted of days of hearing the testimony of Tribunal and its judgements for the Uyghur witnesses from around the world and analysis people. Although the findings of the Tribunal from experts from various fields. On July 17, are not a definitive legal outcome, it 2019 the China Tribunal published its initial constitutes the first time that such an summary of its final judgement, which was investigation was carried out and the reported on by major news outlets from neutrality, thoroughness and prominence of around the world. the Tribunal itself lends considerable credibility to its conclusions. With regards to the crime of genocide, the China Tribunal recognized that Falun Gong There are a number of possible actions to be and Uyghurs were particularly targeted taken based on the conclusions, including:

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1. Action at an international level could region, they did so in the southern part of East also be founded on the basis of the Turkistan, far to close to areas inhabited by Responsibility to Protect. Uyghurs. 2. It would also be open for the UN Human Rights Council to consider The devastating results of the nuclear testing this matter, again based on a has been felt by the Uyghur people for resolution proposed by one or more of decades since. Mr. Tohti participated making its 47 member states, which could be a documentary on the topic called ‘Death onf asked to create a “mandate for a the Silk Road, in which he spoke to Special Rapporteur to investigate undercover journalists about the nuclear tests. these allegations of forced organ As a result, he had to flee East Turkistan and harvesting of prisoners of conscience.” seek refuge in the UK in 1999. 3. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention might also have a role if Mr. Tohti stated that millions of innocent necessary people have been affected by the nuclear 4. Domestic action in such matters is testing and it has resulted and that rates of possible – by asserting universal cancer among Uyghurs were incredibly high jurisdiction powers, established in due to the effects of the radiation. It is some national courts by national estimated that 1.2 – 1.43 million people were legislation or by international law, to affected during and after testing. permit individual plaintiffs to file legal actions against particular As a surgeon specializing in cancer, Mr. Tohti individuals or even against a observed the abnormal rate of cancer patients sovereign state for acts or conduct that firsthand. Compared to other regions in China, may constitute genocide, crimes Uyghurs had a far higher rate of getting against humanity or torture. cancer. The estimated number of deaths 5. An ICJ advisory opinion could be resulting from the testing is 194,000 – obtained on the issue of organ 750,000 and a British investigation in 1997 harvesting. determined that the likelihood of contracting 6. Ultimately it would be up to citizens, cancer is 30% higher in East Turkistan activists and motivated politicians to compared to the rest of China. pursue these courses of action. Mr. Tohti’s presentation made clear that the Enver Tohti CCP’s strategy of using Uyghurs as guinea pigs or test subjects is not a new phenomenon, Mr. Tohti began his presentation by focusing but has roots in the nuclear testing that took on another disturbing element of the Chinese place from 1964. His presentation is government’s treatment of the Uyghur people particularly alarming given the fact that the as test subject: the testing of nuclear weapons U.S. State department alleged that the in East Turkistan. Chinese government has resumed testing nuclear weapons in East Turkistan in 2020. From 16 October 1964 – 29 July 1996, the Chinese government tested 48 nuclear David Kilgour devices at Lop Nur, a dried salt lake, in East Turkistan. He asserted that 46 nuclear devises Mr. David Kilgour focused his presentation did detonate, 23 in the air and 23 underground. on putting the atrocity of forced organ Not only was it irresponsible for the Chinese harvesting in the context of the current crisis government to test nuclear weapons in the in East Turkistan and to give a general

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overview of how the use of organ harvesting He continued, referencing Ethan Gutmann’s on Uyghurs was discovered and exposed. book ‘The Slaughter’, published in 2014, where he estimates that the organs of 65,000 He started his presentation by referring to the Falun Gong and two to four thousands plight of camp survivor Mihrigul Tursun, Uyghurs, Tibetans and Christians were who endured horrible atrocities while harvested from 2000-2008. He continues, detained in an internment before she was able stating that as of 2017, every Uyghur man, to flee and seek asylum in the United States. woman and child in - about 15 Historically and currently, he noted that East million people – had been blood and DNA Turkistan has served as Beijing’s laboratory. tested, which is compatible with tissue The Chinese government had tested an matching for organ transplant purposes. estimated 46 nuclear devices at LopNur in East Turkistan, starting in the mid-1960s, In 2018, nine crematoria were opened in resulting in a huge increase in radiation- Urumqi, a suspiciously high number, and that caused cancer. He went on to give an three fast-track lanes were opened for visitors overview of the current crisis, which has seen receiving organ transplants at regional millions of innocent Uyghurs detained in airports. During the proceedings of the China internment camps by the Chinese government, Tribunal, Uyghur witnesses described due to their ethnicity and religious beliefs. physical examinations similar to that which Falun Gong victims of organ harvesting Mr. Kilgour informed the participants that experienced. organ harvesting had long been practiced on the Uyghur people, preceding that from Falun To conclude, Mr. Kilgour recommended the Gong, which began in 2001. He referenced an international community take a series of article written by organ harvest activist Ethan concrete actions to stop forced organ Gutmann, which quotes eye witness accounts harvesting against Uyghurs: from Uyghur medical professional and others outside China describing how in 1991 near 1. Responsible governments worldwide Guangzhou, the vital organs of executed should boycott anyone doing business prisoners were removed for transplant in the region. purposes. Enver Tohti, a previous panelist, 2. Global consumers can also hold also recounted how, in 1995 when he was a companies accountable by demanding general surgeon in a hospital in Urumqi, he an end to all business partnerships in went to an execution ground to remove the Xinjiang and boycotting their kidneys and liver from a wounded, but still products. alive, man. Another witness, Bahtiyar Shemshidin, an ethnic Uyghur who was a policeman in East Turkistan, testified that in Maya Mitalipova 1998, he was sent to obtain blood samples from mostly Uyghur prisoners after five The last speaker on the second panel of the Chinese officials with organ problems conference was Maya Mitalipova, a scientist, checked into a hospital in Urumqi. He later researcher and director Director of the Human learned that once a matching blood type was Stem Cell Laboratory at the Whitehead found and tissue matched, the prisoner was Institute for Biomedical Research in the shot in the chest and the officials checked out Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her of the hospital soon after they obtained the presentation focused on a key aspect of transplanted organs. allegations of forced organ harvesting against

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Uyghurs in particular, the link between DNA analyzes genes for traits like skin color, eye sequencing and . color and ancestry to catalogue and sketch the physical and facial features of a particular Starting around 2016, the Chinese ethnic group. This may be supported by the government began to forcibly collect blood fact that a number of Chinese companies have and DNA samples form Uyghurs, Kazakhs developed AI features in CCTV cameras and other predominantly Muslim groups in which can identify a person’s ethnicity based East Turkistan. This was initially conducted on their facial features. However, Ms. through the Chinese government’s ‘Physicals Mitalipova asserted that this technology is for All’ program, which supposedly offered still in its infancy and is different to create free-of-charge medical examinations to the exact models from DNA alone. residents. In reality, Uyghurs were pressured or coerced to give blood samples at these So the question remains why the Chinese mandatory physicals and witnesses have government sequenced the DNa from tens of testified Uyghurs were not able to obtain a million of people. She noted it is a very passport unless they underwent these expensive procedure, with a minimum cost examinations. Since the introduction of the per sample being approximately $1,000. To internment camp system, this mass collection sequence the DNA of the entire Uyghur of blood samples has increased as nearly population would cost a minimum of $10 every camp survivor has testified they were million, so there would have to be a legitimate forcibly subjected to medical examinations reason or return on investment to conduct and had their blood drawn. such an expensive policy. Ms. Mitalipova noted that the selling of organs would Ms. Mitalipova notes that Han Chinese generate enough revenue to make this policy resident in East Turkistan were not forced to viable. The China International give blood samples and that these samples Transplantation Network Assistance Center were used for DNA sequencing. The targeted listed the price of organs on its website in and coercive nature of these procedures led 2006, charging $62,000 for a kidney, many to question the motives of the Chinese $150,000 – $170,000 for a lung and $130,000 government in carry out this policy, leading – $160,000 for a heart. many observers to speculate that there may be a link between the mass collection of Uyghur By 2000, new methods of DNA sequencing DNA and the practice of forced organ (called next generation sequencing methods harvesting. (NGS)) were developed and implemented in commercial DNA sequencers. They were Ms. Mitalipova began her presentation by highly scalable, allowing for the entire defining what DNA sequencing as is the genome to be sequenced at once. This process of determining the nucleic acid allowed researchers news insights into health sequence- the order of nucleotides in DNA. and human origins, starting a ‘Personalized She noted that is has many legitimate Medicine’ movement and increased organ applications in biomedical research, medical transplantation. NGS massively improved the research, forensic and in anthropology. viability and success rate of organ transplants by estimating rejection rates using specific However, in this case, Ms. Mitalipova biomarkers and finding the best matching asserted that one possible reason for the the donor, making organ transplantation routine DNA collected from ethnic Uyghurs was for those suffering from organ failure. being used for developing AI technologies. Using DNA phenotyping, it is possible to

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Through DNA sequencing, researchers are able to examine the intricacies of the human Panel 3: International genome to identify a best match. While this Efforts to Combat Organ research was too costly and time consuming to be regularly applied to organ Harvesting transplantation in the past, new sequencing technology has dramatically reduced these This third panel of the conference built on the times and efforts. Now scientists have come contents of the previous discussions to focus up with a comprehensive DNA scoring on concrete measures to address and combat system using many genes to predict long-term organ harvesting in East Turkistan and the success of transplantation. Ms. Mitalipova rest of China. Panelists presented ongoing noted that the collection of DNA on a large efforts and recommendations of further steps scale for a larger number of genes improve to take to end transplant in China. This this process further. Therefore, she asserts focused on a variety of approaches including that there is a huge link between DNA international coalition building and advocacy sequencing and organ transplantation efforts, legal initiatives and medical outcome. approaches.

Therefore, she asserts that the state approved Panelists Include: DNA sequencing of the entire Muslim population of East Turkistan without Susie Hughes (Executive Director and Co- informed consent is further evidence that the Founder of ETAC (the International Coalition knowledge obtained from the genomic data to End Transplant Abuse In China)) analysis would be used to determine if a Dr. (Human Rights Lawyer and patient and a potential donor are a better Co-Founder of the International Coalition To match for the long-term success of End Transplant Abuse In China) transplantation. As evidenced in the findings Dr. Sue, Sung-How (Chief, Department of of the China Tribunal i , the Chinese Cardiovascular Surgery, Pojen General government has a long history conducting Hospital, Taipei) forced organ harvesting on prisoners of Dr. Yoshihide Ogawa (Emeritus Professor, conscience for a long period of time on many Faculty of Medicine, University of the victims. The fact that millions of Uyghurs are Ryukyus, Japan) being secretly detained in internment camps, with no transparency, oversight or Susie Hughes accountability, increases the risk that they may be victims of large-scale forced organ The panel began with a review of ongoing harvesting. The fact that China has the efforts of the International Coalition to End second-highest transplant rate in the world Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC ii ). Ms. without wait times of only two to three weeks Susie Hughes, co-founded ETAC in 2016 further reinforces this point. with the goal of connecting people internationally to consolidate efforts to end the forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience in China. The coalition has brought together people of diverse identities and backgrounds with the common goal offending forced organ harvesting and currently has committees in Australia, the UK, the United States, Canada and New

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Zealand, as well as initiatives in other horrific acts are regularly occurring in regions. China.

Ms. Hughes first detailed the past and current In order to address these considerable barriers, initiatives of ETAC: Ms. Hughes and ETAC decided that a legal 1. Increasing awareness by organizing and definitive analysis of all available for experts to present their findings at evidence was necessary. ETAC contacted Sir public events and academic forums. Geoffrey Nice QC who recommended that a 2. Conducting academic research and people’s Tribunal be formed on the issue, statistical analysis of Chinese which he served as the Chair. The Tribunal transplant research and official organ constituted the most complete compilation donation figures to find evidence of and assessment of evidence of forced organ forced organ transplants. harvesting, bringing together victims, 3. Organising events and briefings as witnesses and a wide range of legal and part of outreach activities. medical experts. 4. Coordinating rapid responses and engaging in rapid responses when The comprehensive final conclusions of the appropriate. Tribunal were published in March 2020, 5. Submitting to Government inquiries. which concluded, beyond a reasonable doubt, 6. Meeting with government that forced organ harvesting had been representatives. perpetrated against Falun Gong practioners in 7. Engaging with NGOs. China. Despite considerable evidence being 8. Distributing flyers, pamphlets and presented regarding the practice of forced other materials to raise further organ harvesting being used against Uyghurs awareness. in East Turkistan and in the internment internment camps, the same definitive Despite recent successes raising awareness of conclusion could not be reached, the Tribunal forced organ harvesting and advocating for did conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that national governments and international crimes against humanity were being bodies to consider and take action on the issue, perpetrated against Uyghurs. As the Tribunal Ms. Hughes emphacized that significant constitutes the most comprehensive and challenge to ending the practice remain: definitive summary of evidence of forced 1. Disinformation – a number of organ harvesting in China, it is an essential influential voices in the international resource and advocacy tool in combatting transplantation sector have tried to forced organ harvesting. Ms. Hughes disparage their work and research emphacized the importance of this report and through unsubstantiated attacks. noted its publication must be a call to action 2. The considerable influence wielded and used to build momentum to bring an end by the Chinese government through to forced organ harvesting. its trade and political relationships. 3. The Chinese government’s “Now that the Tribunal judgment dehumanization and slander of has been issued, it has become the victims of forced organ harvesting. Victims are often accused of core of all international action. All harboring a political agenda and are previous reports and investigations unjustly discredited. are encompassed in the Tribunal’s 4. The unwillingness of the international report and findings.” community to accept that such

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Ms. Hughes concluded her presentation with Dr. David Matas a broad call to action and recommendations for further steps: Drawing from his extensive experience as a a. Building coalitions and fostering prominent human rights lawyer and as an solidarity with relevants NGOs, non- activist to stop forced organ harvesting in profit organisations and charities to China, Dr. David Matas presented twenty one build a broad coalition for future different legal initiatives and approaches that action. ETAC is currently facilitating could be undertaken to combat organ this through an ‘Organisations Unite’ harvesting in China. It included both initiative. international and local level options for b. Build a larger body of evidence of concrete action, along with analysis and forced organ harvesting of Uyghurs in recommendations for next steps to be taken. East Turkistan and use this in advocacy activities. International Legal Options c. Challenge current partnerships between medical and techonological 1) The International Criminal Court through programs in universities and culpable a referral by the UN Security Council Chinese entities. d. Urge medical associations to take a The International Criminal Court (ICC) has more active role to condemn forced jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the organ harvesting in China, international crimes of genocide, crimes disassociate themselves from China against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of and adopt policies to ensure they are aggression. While forced organ harvesting not complicit. would fall under this list of international e. Partner with legal associations and crimes, China is not a state party to the ICC, experts to take appropriate action and so the Court itself would be unable to lobby governments to pass relevant prosecute. However, the ICC does have legislation. jurisdiction over crimes referred to them by f. Increase advocacy activities with the UN Security Council (UNSC). national governments and international organisations to push The fact that China retains veto power in the them to take concrete action on the UNSC remains an impediment, but in order issue. for it to exercise its veto power a state must g. Target the World Health Organisation, first make a proposal. Dr. Matas noted that no especially its ‘Task Force on Donation state had yet made a proposal, but noted that, and Transplantation of Human Organs at the time of presenting, there were five likely and Tissues’ and work with national candidates to propose referring forced organ governments and other relevant harvesting in China to the ICC due to the fact partners to urge the WHO to reassess they have raised human rights violations in the evidence on organ harvesting and East Turkistan previously: the United assess China’s influence over the Kingdom, France, the United States, Germany organisation. and Belgium. Dr. Matas also recalled that h. Question China’s decision-making Germany had raised the issued of organ role in the Transplanation Society and transplant abuse in the UN, previously. the Declaration of Istanbul Custodian Group. 2) The International Court of Justice through a request for an advisory opinion on the

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law of genocide from the United Nations previous reviews of China in 2008 and 2015, General Assembly the committee called on China to “immediately conduct or commission an The United Nations Charter provides that the independent investigation” into organ UN General Assembly may request the transplant abuse in China. Dr. Matas International Court of Justice to give an suggested to submit information and parallel advisory opinion on any legal question. Any reports on the topic during the committee’s member state of the United Nations can ask next review of China and to urge the the General Assembly to make such a request. committee to give this recommendation a higher priority. Dr. Matas noted that the recent findings of the China Tribunal determined that forced organ (Note) China is not a signatory to UN CAT’s harvesting of prisoners of conscience optional protocol, which enables more robust constitute an act of genocide. He states that the measures and monitoring. It also has failed legal question surrounding this case was, for submit its state report for its next review by this sort of crime, whether there the necessary the committee, which was due on 9 December criminal intent for genocide. If a state in the 2019. UN GA requested an advisory opinion from the ICJ on this issue, the ICJ would be able to 5) The United Nations Protocol against form an opinion on whether forced organ Trafficking in Persons to the Convention harvesting in China could constitute an act of against Transnational Organized Crime genocide, and therefore necessitate further through a meeting of states parties action. Dr. Matas challenges the position of the UN 3) The Genocide Convention through calls on Office of Drugs and Crimes, the UN the competent organs of the UN to take bureaucracy responsible for the UN Protocol action. against Trafficking in Persons to the Convention against Transnational Organized China is a party to the Genocide Convention Crime, that organ trafficking and trafficking and that Convention provides that any state in persons for the removal of their organs are party may call on the competent organs of the different, that the killing of prisoners of United Nations to take such action under the conscience for their organs is not trafficking Charter of the United Nations as they in persons for the removal of their organs and consider appropriate for the prevention and that that organ trafficking does not suppression of acts of genocide. accordingly fall within the Protocol.

4) The United Nations Committee against Dr. Matas challenges this position on the Torture established under the Convention grounds that prisoners of conscience are against Torture through its concluding forcibly taken by Chinese authorities and observations on the periodic reports from taken to detention facilities for brainwashing China. and indoctrination, but also for forced labour and forced organ harvesting. As states can As China is a state part to UN CAT, it is review the positions of UNODC and meet obligated to periodically report to the expert every five years, he asserts that states parties committee established under the Convention. could and should adopt a resolution The Convention empowers the expert indicating the extent to which organ committee to make concluding observations trafficking falls within the ambit of the on those reports. In the committee’s two Protocol.

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10) Raising Forced Organ Harvesting with 6) The Universal Declaration of Human the UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Rights through United Nations Human Intolerance Rights Council agenda item 4 - human rights situations that require the Council's Dr. Matas notes that previous Special attention. Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance had raised the issue of forced organ harvesting in Dr. Matas asserts that UN member states 2007 and 2008 and urged the current SR to should raise forced organ harvesting during pick up this issue again. their Item 4 statements at future sessions of the UN Human Rights Council. 11) The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 7) The Universal Declaration of Human Guidelines through presentation of cases Rights through the United Nations to national contact points Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for During China’s next Universal Periodic Multinational Enterprises implementation review, efforts must be made to ensure that mechanism for the Guidelines is national more states ask questions and issue contact points, established by governments. recommendations about the use of forced They handle cases as a non judicial grievance organ harvesting in China. mechanism. This mechanism can be used to hold companies outside of China who are 8) Raising Forced Organ Harvesting with complicit in organ transplant abuse the UN Working Group on Arbitrary accountable for their involvement. Detention (WGAD) 12) The Council of Europe Convention The WGAD is part of UN Special Procedures, against Trafficking in Human Organs by a group of independent experts who invoking the implementation mechanisms, investigate and issue communications on once developed thematic issues. Dr. Matas stated that we must submit complaints to the WGAD regarding The Council of Europe Convention against the forced organ harvesting of arbitrarily Trafficking in Human Organs is addressed detained prisoners of conscience in China. specifically to organ transplant abuse. The Convention can be signed by the member 9) Raising Forced Organ Harvesting with States of the Council of Europe, the European the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Union and the non-member States which enjoy observer status with the Council of While the issue of forced organ harvesting in Europe. It is also can be signed by any other China has been raised by the Special non-member State of the Council of Europe Rapporteur on Torture in the past, Dr. Matas upon invitation by the Committee of notes that the Chinese government has yet to Ministers. The Council of Europe approved respond in a satisfactory way. He asserts the the Convention in March 2015. To date, there Special Rapporteur must follow up and press are nine ratifying states and fifteen signatory the Chinese government on this issue. states which have not yet ratified the Convention.

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The Convention provides that a committee of asset freezes, visa bans and other restrictions states parties will determine the procedure for on individuals responsible for gross human evaluating the implementation of the rights violations. Dr. Matas encouraged more Convention. That has not happened yet. The countries to adopt these laws and to publicly Committee of Parties should be developing name and punish those directly responsible that follow up mechanism now. for organ transplant abuse.

Domestic Legal Options 16) Universal jurisdiction laws on crimes against humanity through prosecution 13) Extra-territorial laws punishing complicity in transplant abuse abroad Many countries have laws which allow for prosecution of those complicit in crimes State parties to the Council of Europe against humanity abroad. The accused Convention against Trafficking in Human typically has to be found in the territory of the Organs must have these laws, but any state country to give the local courts jurisdiction. can. Several states not party to the The laws also typically do not allow for Convention have these laws. private prosecution; the state prosecutors have to agree to take up the cases. Some states, for criminal law, have territorial jurisdiction. Other states, for criminal law, Although significant challenges exist, due to have nationality jurisdiction. Those states the majority of evidence being located in with territorial criminal jurisdiction need to another country, Dr. Matas encouraged enact extra-territorial laws to capture private prosecutions to be launched where complicity of nationals in organ transplant possible. Where they are not, the NGO sector abuse abroad. All states need to enact these can promote prosecution, with the a request laws to capture complicity of permanent for prosecution and provision of evidence and residents and visitors in this abuse. state publicly they are doing so.

14) Mandatory reporting by health 17) Universal jurisdiction laws on genocide professionals to health administrators of through prosecution transplant tourism. There are also many genocide laws which Dr. Matas called for relevant authorities to allow for prosecution of those complicit in implement mandatory reporting of genocide abroad. However, mobilizing individuals who partake in transplant tourism, prosecution for genocide is even more noting it is useful for statistical purposes and difficult than mobilizing prosecution for is an aid to enforcement of extra-territorial crimes against humanity because genocide laws. It also can put a damper on transplant prosecutions are harder to prove. They raise tourism if patients know that they will be issues which need not be addressed for reported on return. prosecutions of crimes against humanity. Raising the spectre of genocide does, in 15) Using Magnitsky Laws to impose contrast, highlight the gravity of the offence. targeted penalites on serious human rights violators. 18) Universal jurisdiction laws on torture through prosecution A number of countries currently have Magnitsky legislation, which allows national Those states which are parties to the governments to impose targeted sanctions, Convention against Torture must enact laws

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to allow for prosecution of their nationals guilty of torture abroad. There are 169 states 21) Legislation on bodies exhibits through parties to the Torture Convention. The requirements to produce verifiable Convention also requires states parties to documentation on sourcing for exhibits either extradite or prosecute any torture offender present on its territory. If there is no Bodies exhibits are a cognate abuse in the extradition, there must be prosecution. Many sense that the plastinated parts in many cases states do not have extradition treaties with come from the same source as organ China. transplants, from prisons and police without explanation of sourcing. Because people can Invoking laws implementing the Torture see these bodies exhibits, they provide, Convention to go after complicity in organ depending on the bodies exhibit, a visible transplant abuse in China with prisoner of demonstration of body parts sourced without conscience victims has the advantage here too explanation, something not available for of the finding of the China Tribunal that these abusive organ transplantation. abuses are torture, without doubt. Torture is easier to prove than crimes against humanity Dr. Matas concluded that, while he had because there are elements of crime in the divided their legal options into twenty one crimes against humanity which need not be parts, they should not be taken in isolation, proved for torture. As well, these laws, but should be pursued in tandem as part of a because of the Torture Convention, are more holistic strategy to end transplant abuse in likely to apply to visitors than crimes against China. humanity laws.

19) Immigration law through barring entry of Dr. Sue-Sung How those complicit in organ transplant abuse Dr. Sue-Sung How, a prominent cardio- Many states have laws barring entry of those vascular surgeon based in Taiwan chose to who have committed an act which is a crime focus his presentation on a certain an in the country of entry. Organ transplant important element of forced organ harvesting abuse of the sort we see in China would be a and transplant abuse in China: the misuse of crime most everywhere. So these laws in ECMO (Extra-Corporeal Membrane principle would bar entry of those complicit Oxygenation). ECMO was pioneered as an in this abuse. innovative life-support machine for heart and liver functions, but has since been abused by 20) Civil liability laws through lawsuits the Chinese government and organ pillagers against the complicit to keep organs alive and viable in the human body until a suitable recipient is found. Civil liability laws have the advantage that they can be invoked by individuals. State This is linked to the practice of procuring approval is not necessary. As well, the organs from NHBD (Non-Heart Beating standard of proof which has to be met to Donors). In this method, organ harvesting establish civil liability is typically lower than occurs immediately after the donor’s heart that required to establish criminal liability. beat stops (from 75 seconds to 10 minutes). It The Torture Convention obligates states has not been with regularity in recent history, parties to ensure that any victim of an act of as organs recovered from brain dead beating torture can obtain redress and has an heart patients were preferable. NHBD’s were enforceable right to compensation. not widely used, except in Japan. Dr. Sue

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pointed out that in his country of Taiwan, no that ECMO plays and take active steps to law has yet authorized the use of NHBD and constrain unregulated and unethical methods the only guidelines on the use of NHBD were of organ extraction. published in 2017.

Dr. Sue then told the audience of a case where Dr. Yoshide Ogawa 8 surgeons were sent to harvest the organs of prisoners in China in 2005. He stated that 7 Dr. Ogawa concluded the panel with an case prisoners were executed, but only 4 of them study and analysis of organ transplantation in had their organs harvested with 8 kidneys sent Japan, to provide insight how transplant to the hospital for transplantation. He asked abuse in China could be tackled by focusing the audience why that did not take all 14 on the visitors who travel to China for organ kidneys from the 7 prisoners. transplantation. Through understanding what drives foreign visitors to engage in organ The problem, he stated, was that there was no transplant tourism, we can help to stop forced method to keep kidneys fresh due to the organ harvesting in China by limiting the shortage of manpower. The solution to this market and cutting out the demand for problem was the use of ECMO, which allows harvested organs. organ extractors to keep vital organs fresh and viable for longer and thus increases the use of Dr. Ogawa began his presentation by stating organ harvesting. that the Organ Transplant Law in Japan was introduced in 1997, legalized organ Dr. Sue then went on to detail the history and procurement from ‘brain dead’ donors. There origins of the use of ECMO in organ are now approximately 400-500 liver harvesting in Taiwan. He alleged that a doctor transplants from living donors and 50-60 in Taiwan had developed illegal NHBD from brain-dead donors in Japan annually for protocols in Taiwan from 1994-2008 and that end-stage liver failure patients. For kidney 26 donors’ kidneys had been forcibly transplants, living donor kidney transplants harvested during this period. He detailed that are more popular than deceased transplants. Pavilon was injected into patients while they Dr. Ogawa gave a detailed history of organ were still alive, which constrained the transplant, especially for kidneys in Japan, breathing of donors and resulted in early tracking the number and means of deaths, in order to facilitate organ extraction. transplantation. He also alleged doctors would turn off ECG machines during organ extraction surgeries, He noted that Japan often had shortages of as patients would sometimes regain a organs for transplantation due to Japan’s strict heartbeat, which would violate NHBD transplantation laws and cultural beliefs that procedure to operate on them. resulted in very low rates of organ donation. This resulted in a high mortality rate among Dr. Sue concluded that the use of ECMO was patients who were waiting for kidney an important factor in the spread and transplants in particular, resulting in a donor widespread use of forced organ harvesting in shortage crisis. Many patients waiting for China, Taiwan and elsewhere, as it made organ transplantation were forced to engage organ harvesting more efficient and kept in transplantation tourism in foreign countries. organs viable for longer. In order to fully Despite the passing of the transplantation law address the use of organ harvesting against in 1997, the number of organ transplants from Uyghurs and others in East Turkistan and the brain-dead donors in Japan remains far lower rest of China, we must understand the role than in many other countries. Following

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revision to the legislation in 2010, the number or organ donations from brain-dead patients Panel 4: Security and increased from 10 cases a year to 60 cases. As Surveillance in East a result, there are still many Japanese citizens waiting for organ transplantation and Turkistan, an International transplantation tourism remains a problem. Security Threat To compensate for donor shortage, international organ trade took place between This section focused on the international the US and Japan, with 160 kidneys being dimension and implications of the use and transferred between 1981-1983. However, testing of repressive security and surveillance this still was not nearly enough to meet the technology on the Uyghur people. Dystopian demand and Japanese citizens continues to technology tested on the Uyghur people by seek transplantations abroad. He states 103 Chinese companies and the Chinese patients underwent cardiac transplants abroad government is now being sold and exported from 1984 to 2005, many in the US, Germany to governments around the world, threatening and the UK. He also said 118 children international security and human rights underwent cardiac transplants abroad globally. This section aimed to show what the between 1988 to 2016, costing $300,000 per current situation in East Turkistan is, along child in the US. There were 14 recorded liver with case studies of the impacts it is already transplants from Japanese citizens in China having on the rights and freedoms of from 1984 – 2005 and 106 kidney transplants individuals in other countries. from 1984-2005. Panelists included: Given the fact that many Japanese citzens have been forced to engaged in transplant • Hannah Burdorf (Academic and tourism abroad, Dr. Ogawa asserted that we Researcher at Newcastle University) must address the demand side of organ • Bota Jardemalie (Kazakh lawyer and trafficking and transplant tourism. His human rights activist) proposed solutions is to use therapeutic • Omer Kanat (Executive Chairman of WUC kidneys, taken from cancer sufferers, which and Director of the Uyghur Human Rights can be easily restored, transferred and Project) – presenting UHRP’s research on transplanted, instead of using donor kidneys security and surveilance from prisoners of conscience. He proposed • Ray Wong (Hong Kong Democracy Activist) using living liver transplants and therapeutic kidney transplants to help meet the demand, as well as abolishing the 5% rule in the US, Hannah Burdorf which state that only 5% of available organs can be given to foreigners for transplantation. Hannah Burdorf opened the session by giving a practical look at the evolution of security and surveillance technology in East Turkistan through her photos and experiences on recent trips to East Turkistan. As an academic and researcher, she had been able to travel to the region numerous times over the past few years and was able to witness and document its rapid transformation.

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Showing a series of before and after photos, Uyghus to human rights and freedoms in Ms. Burdorf showed what life and different other countries, through the example of their locations were like in East Turkistan, before spread into Kazakhstan. and after 2017/2018 when the crackdown on the Uyghur people escalated dramatically and Due to its proximity to China and the Chinese Uyghurs began to be rounded up and detained government’s significant influence in the in internment camps. Some of the most region, Central Asia has become one of the noticeable features was the numerous CCTV first areas to buy and implement repressive surveillance cameras that had sprung up all security and surveillance technology from over the city, especially in places of religious Chinese companies. As one of the first stops or cultural importance to the Uyghur people. along China’s Belt and Road Initiative, it She noted that heavy security measures had appears that the exportation of repressive been erected in front of mosques and that techniques may follow the road westward. numerous checkpoints and roadblocks had been set up around cities, where Uyghurs are Ms. Jardemalie asserted that most of this new ethnically profiled and checked by Chinese technology being brought into Kazakhstan police. Barbed wire had been installed around was being done through the ‘Smart Cities’ several sites and she noticed that the streets Initiative. Kazakhstan has experimenting had become emptier than in her previous with developing smart cities with China since visits. 2017.

She also experienced the increase in security Hikvision, a company currently under U.S. and surveillance in East Turkistan first hand sanctions that has advertised its ability to use in terms of access to certain areas, the facial recognition technology to pick out willingness of local people to speak with her Uyghur faces, has been supplying CCTV and presence of Chinese police in monitoring cameras equipped with facial recognition her own activities. technology to major urban centres in Kazakhstan, including Almaty and Shymkent. Her testimony provides a stark photo of the Reports have indicated that 4,000 cameras changes in East Turkistan and the toll that with facial recognition , mostly from recent security and surveillance measures is Hikvision, have already been installed in taking on the Uyghur people and Uyghur Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan, and the society. In a matter of a few years, the Kazakh government have agreed to spend $23 atmosphere and daily lives of Uyghurs living million to install similar cameras in Almaty in in East Turkistan had changed entirely. It also February 2019. showed the power and pervasiveness of this technology and the dangers it poses for a free It is also worth noting that Huawei has been and fair society. working closely with Kazakhstan’s telecommunications companies and seeks to expand its influence in the country by training Bota Jardemalie Kazakhstan’s future leaders in technology.

Bota Jardemalie is a notable human rights The rapid spread of this repressive technology activist from Kazakhstan who currently into Kazakhstan deeply concerned Ms. resides in Belgium after having been forced Jardemalie, especially in the context of to flee her homeland. Her presentation human rights in Kazakhstan. She asserted that focused on the dangers posed by the CCP’s this new technology imported from China testing of repressive technology on the would allow the Kazakh government and

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governments around the world to more sophistication of this system advanced closely monitor and control their own rapidly in East Turkistan and, together with populations, creating a new form of the internment camp system, turned the technologically advanced authoritarianism region into what is essentially an open-air and repression. The technology is already prison, where individuals are constantly being used to monitor and track opposition monitored and police have a near complete figures and human rights activists in the presence in major cities. country and may lead to a further deterioration of rights and freedoms. What this example articulates is that there is a feedback loop of repression in how China This case illustrates that what is happening to treats ethnic and religious groups. Successful the Uyghur people in East Turkistan can and strategies of repression and control are tested is already spreading. While Kazakhstan is by on one group or people and then the most no means the country importing this successful methods are applied to others. In dangerous surveillance technology, its case is this way, the CCP was able to refine this showing the dangerous potential of this security and surveillance regime. spread and China’s growing influence over Central Asia. Due to its success in East Turkistan and , this technology is now being used Hong Kong. While the CCP is not able to implement Chen Ray Wong Quanguo full grid-style security and brutal tactics due to Hong Kong’s autonomy and To provide another example of the dangerous robust free press, technology including facial application of repressive technology tested on recognition and the widespread use of the Uyghur people, Hong Kong activist Ray security cameras is already in use. Wong informed participants that this technology was already being used to Mr. Wong showed how the Hong Kong police suppress and monitor democracy protesters in had installed towers with surveillance Hong Kong. cameras equipped with facial recognition to try to record and identify the protestors. He The Chinese government’s testing of also alluded to the ways Hong Kong repressive strategies on certain population is democracy protestors were tracked across the certainly not a new phenomenon. Before the city and monitored closely in an effort to CCP Party Secretary of East Turkistan began ensure compliance. implementing his unique style of monitoring and control, he had first tested this model Recognizing the common struggle and while Party Secretary of Tibet. Chen interrelatedness of the situations in East Quanguo was tasked with quashing dissent in Turkistan and Hong Kong, Mr. Wong Tibet after protests in 2008. In order to do this, emphasized the need for solidarity and he implemented a ‘grid-style’ security cooperation between the Uyghurs and people approach, focusing on a heavy police of Hong Kong. This example also further presence and a blanket of security cameras evidences that what is happening to the covering every inch of major cities in Tibet. Uyghurs poses a threat to human rights After successfully stifling and quashing any everywhere. China is selling or installing this form of dissent in Tibet, he brought this repressive technology across China itself, in strategy of control, monitoring and neighboring countries and around the world. oppression to East Turkistan. The scope and

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