Summary:
The “International Uyghur Forum: Global Parliamentarian Convention” will be held on October 30-31, 2023, at the National Diet of Japan (House of Representatives Building). The conference is organised by the Japan-Uyghur Parliamentary Caucus (JUPC), the Japanese parliamentary caucus to investigate and take action on human rights abuses committed by China (JPCHC) and the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) in cooperation with the Japan Uygur Association (JUA) and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). It aims to bring together parliamentarians from various countries who are working on the Uyghur Genocide and supporting Uyghurs worldwide.
The conference will focus on international responses to the Uyghur genocide and heinous human rights violations such as racial discrimination, physical and psychological torture, forced labor, and cross-border persecution. It seeks to promote cooperation among parliamentarians from different countries and discuss strategies to address the current challenges and overcome them. Additionally, the conference will also address the erosion of democratic systems in Hong Kong, military tensions in the vicinity of Taiwan, and China’s threat to peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Background:
As of May 2023, 11 parliaments (United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Ireland, Lithuania, Taiwan, and the European Parliament) and one government (United States) have officially recognized the crimes committed against the Uyghur people as genocide (the deliberate killing of a particular ethnic or other targeted group with intent to destroy it, along with acts constituting serious violations of humanitarian law). Last year, both the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors in Japan passed historic resolutions on the Uyghur issue.
In August 2022, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report acknowledging that human rights violations against the Uyghur people constitute crimes against humanity. The United Nations, through annual joint statements by major democratic nations, calls for an immediate cessation of inhumane crimes against Uyghurs and independent investigations. In October 2022, a joint statement condemning China on the Uyghur Genocide was issued by 50 countries, including Japan, during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on human rights issues. In November of the same year, the United Nations Human Rights Council recommended that China release detained Uyghurs and provide victims with “remedies and reparations.”
In 2021, after several years of information gathering and an 18-month investigation, the “Uyghur Tribunal,” an independent commission of inquiry composed of international legal and human rights experts based in the United Kingdom, concluded that genocide and crimes against humanity were being committed against Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups. Prominent human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have also released investigative reports concluding that China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people and calling for action by the international community. In addition, a growing number of NGOs are expressing growing concern about the high risk of Uyghur forced labor in global supply chains, involving the world at large.
In the United States, two major laws have been enacted to address human rights abuses against Uyghurs. The “Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act” imposes sanctions on Chinese officials involved in human rights violations against Uyghurs, and the “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act” prohibits the importation of goods produced in Xinjiang. Additionally, several individuals, organizations, and companies have been sanctioned for their involvement in human rights abuses against Uyghurs.
Unfortunately, despite the efforts of governments, parliaments, and human rights organizations worldwide to end the Uyghur genocide, unfortunately, the atrocities continue. There are still aspects where advanced countries inadvertently contribute to these crimes, such as importing products made through Uyghur forced labor or exporting surveillance technologies that can be used to violate Uyghur human rights. If the world remains indifferent to China’s efforts to eradicate Uyghurs, there is no doubt that this model of abuse will be exported, posing a significant threat to neighboring regions and the world as a whole.
Indeed, it is crucial that politicians and experts from around the world work together and take immediate action to put an end to this nightmare. The convening of this international forum is necessary to facilitate such cooperation.
Reasons for hosting the conference in Japan:
Japan is the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to publicly condemn and acknowledge the ongoing atrocities against Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups. Since 2019, during the second Abe administration, Japan has been the only non-Western country to sign a joint statement condemning the Uyghur Genocide at the United Nations every year. The current Kishida administration has prioritized human rights diplomacy, including a response to the Uyghur Genocide in its election manifesto and the establishment of a Prime Minister’s Adviser on International Human Rights Issues.
Thanks to the efforts of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Uyghur Parliamentary Group was established in the Japanese Diet, setting an example for the world and leading to the establishment of Uyghur Parliamentary Groups in many other countries. In addition, following the will of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who directly raised the Uyghur Genocide with Chinese leaders and urged them to improve, a bipartisan “Parliamentary Alliance to Investigate and Act on Human Rights Violations by China” (chaired by Keiji Furuya, a member of the House of Representatives) was launched at the end of last year, and its members are expected to play an active role.
This year, Japan is chairing the G7 and will host the G7 Summit in Hiroshima. Forced labor and human rights issues are among the top priorities for G7 leaders, and countries including Japan have shown strong support.
In this context, Japan is considered the most appropriate country to host an international conference of parliamentarians from various countries on the Uyghur Genocide.
Participants:
The conference aims to bring together approximately 150 participants, including parliamentarians, politicians, Uyghur rights advocates, civil society representatives, scholars, legal experts, journalists, Uyghur leaders, witnesses, forced detention camp survivors, and Uyghur activists from around the world.
Objectives:
The primary objective of this international conference is to facilitate cooperation among proactive parliamentarians, politicians, human rights advocates, civil society representatives, and scholars who are actively engaged in addressing the Uyghur Genocide. The conference aims to build important networks and encourage coordinated efforts towards concrete actions to end the Uyghur genocide.