IUF
IUF 2026 — Current

International Uyghur Forum 2026

11–13 June 2026 · Berlin, Germany

About

IUF 2026

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) in partnership with the Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights (UZDM) is convening the third International Uyghur Forum — "Ten Years Since the Camps: From Recognition to Accountability – What's Next?" — from June 11–13, 2026, in Berlin, Germany, supported by the Uyghur Friendship Group in the German Bundestag. The forum aims to bring together approximately 150 participants and move the global response decisively from recognition to accountability.

IUF 2026

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Organisers
World Uyghur Congress UZDM
Sponsors & Partners
National Endowment for Democracy Hasene International
Chip in with Taiwan Australian Uyghur Association Uyghur Human Rights Project DUKVA Japan Uyghur Association
Uyghur Association of Victoria Uyghur Projects Foundation Uyghur Academy Campaign for Uyghurs
East Turkistan Association of Canada Alberta Uyghur Association Center for Uyghur Studies NUK Optimum Publishing International
Teklimakan Uyghur Press PEN Uyghur Switzerland Uyghur Society Belgian Uyghur Association Irish Uyghur Cultural Association
Confirmed Speakers

IUF 2026 Speakers

Mesud Gülbahar

Vice-Chair of HASENE International

Sameer Zuberi

Member of Parliament, Canada

Oleksandra Matviichuk

Ukrainian human rights defender, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Lebin Ding

Germany-based human rights activist and independent China researcher

Dr. Muhtar Abdurahman

Chair of the WUC Research Center

Adiljan Abdurehim

Coordinator and Data Technician at Uyghur Transitional Justice Database (UTJD)

Dr. Ablet Semet

Researcher on Turkology

Sawut Memet Chair of China Affairs Committee

Vice Chairman of the JUA and Director of East Asia Affairs at the World Uyghur Congress

Abdulhakim Idris

Executive Director of the Center for Uyghur Studies

Mutalip Kurban

WUC Executive Committee Vice Chair

Aziz Isa Elkun

President of the Uyghur PEN Centre

Ethan Gutmann

Senior Research Fellow in China Studies for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

Abduresit Eminaci

President of East Turkistan Human Rights Watch Association

Gabriel Salvia

Director General, Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de América Latina (CADAL)

Mehmet Celepci

Chair of the WUC Legal Committee

Sradhanand Sital

Chairman of Global Human Rights Defence

Polat Sayim

Deputy Chair of the WUC Executive Committee

Adiljan Abdukérim

Chair of WUC’s Refugees Center

Dr. Erkin Sidick

President of Uyghur Projects Foundation

Dr. Rian Thum

Researcher and Senior Lecturer in East Asian History at University of Manchester

Lobsang Sangay

Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School and Former President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)

Professor Michael van Walt

Professor, Human Rights Lawyer

Hamid Sabi

Human rights lawyer, Counsel to both the China Tribunal and the Uyghur Tribunal

Geoffrey Nice

British Barrister, Chief Prosecutor at the ICTY

Raphael Viana David

Senior Advocacy Manager at the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

Zumretay Arkin

Vice President of the WUC

Ahmed Shaheed

Professor of International Human Rights Law at Essex University, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, Former UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB

Abdulhamit Karahan

Deputy of WUC Executive Committee

Kalbinur Sidik

Camp Survivor

Ali Uzun

President of ERIAD

Sharof Azizov

Founder and Executive Director of Justice for All International (JPTi)

Gheyyur Qurban

WUC Berlin Director & Treasurer

Rizwanay Ilham

President of the Swiss Uyghur Association and Chair of the WUC Youth Committee

John Packer

Associate Professor of Law at University of Ottawa

Dr. Thomas Wenzel

Professor of Psychiatry at Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU)

Dr. Thomas Schulze

Professor of Psychiatry

Ferenc Gelencser

Member of the Hungarian Parliament & Former Deputy Mayor in the 1st District of Budapest

Zdeněk Hřib

Czech MP & Former Mayor of Prague

Süleyman Koyuncu

Elected Council Member of the Amsterdam City Hall

Geneviève Garrigos

Elected Council Member of the Paris City Hall

Mirjam Kobold

Society for Threatened Peoples

Nadthasiri Bergman

Thai Lawyer

Basma Mostafa

Egyptian HRD & Director of Law and Democracy Support Foundation

Kateřina Procházková

Researcher at Sinopsis

Kai Müller

International Campaign for Tibet

Bernardo Kaiser

WUC EU Officer

Endili Memetkerim

Chair of WUC Health Committee

Dr. Rishat Abbas

President of Uyghur Academy International

Maira Aisaeva

Chair of the WUC Women’s Committee

Dean Baxendale

Publisher at Optimum International

Rahima Mahmut

Executive Director of Stop Uyghur Genocide

Amy Siu

Secretary General of Freedom for Hong Kong

Dr. Katarina Schwarz

UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Form of Slavery

Dr. Adrian Zenz

Director in China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

Tilman Massa

Association of Ethical Shareholders

Carl Gershman

Former President of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)

Rushan Abbas

Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) & Chair of the WUC Executive Committee

Tsuni Cheng

Vice President of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD)

Antoinette Guhl

Senator, France

Amb. Dr. Klement Ruey-sheng GU

Representative of the Taipei Representative Office in the Federal Republic of Germany

Penpa Tsering

President of the Tibetan Central Administration (TCA)

Olivier Faure

First Secretary of the Socialist Party, France

Jiří Oberfalzer

Vice-President of the Senate of the Czech Republic

Boris Mijatovic

Member of the German Bundestag

Dolkun Isa

UZDM President

Turgunjan Alawdun

WUC President

Prof. Dr. Işık Kuşçu Bonnenfant

Professor at Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Yves-François Blanchet

Leader of the Bloc Québécois, MP Canada

PD Dr. Michael Reinhard Heß

Turkologist and translator

Benedict Rogers

Fortify Rights

Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe

Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Jean, Canada

Ilhan Kyuchyuk

European Parliament, Chair of Committee on Legal Affairs

Barbara Lochbihler

UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances

Tenzyn Zöchbauer

Tibet Initiative Deutschland

Mercè Monje Cano

Secretary-General, Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO)

Adam King

International Republican Institute

Mia Hasenson-Gross

René Cassin

Dr. Jhy-Wey Shieh

Representative of Taiwan, Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium

Declaration

IUF 2026 Declaration

IUF 2026 Declaration (PDF)

Click to download
Programme

IUF 2026 Agenda

Day 1 — Thursday, June 11
17:00–19:00
Opening Ceremony
17:00–17:30
Networking
"Vanished Voices" Photo Exhibition
17:30–18:30
Opening Ceremony
18:30–19:00
Fireside Chat — The Future of EU–China Relations
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
As shifting global dynamics reshape relations between Europe, the United States, China, and Taiwan, this fireside chat will explore the future of EU–China relations in an increasingly contested geopolitical landscape. Against the backdrop of recent geopolitical shifts, the discussion will examine Europe's strategic positioning, democratic resilience, economic dependencies, and the growing importance of Taiwan in global affairs.
Speakers
▸With: Dr. Jhy-Wey Shieh, Taiwanese Ambassador to the EU and Belgium
▸Moderator: Benedict Rogers, Senior Director at Fortify Rights, co-founder and Chair of Hong Kong Watch
19:00–21:00
Dinner
Day 2 — Friday, June 12
9:00–10:00
Panel 1: Testing Global Red Lines: East Turkistan, Tibet & Taiwan
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
🎤 Keynote Speaker: MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk — Member of the European Parliament & Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs
This panel will bring together diplomats from Taiwan alongside Uyghur and Tibetan leaders to examine how East Turkistan, Tibet, and Taiwan have become interconnected frontlines in testing the limits of international accountability and democratic resolve.
Speakers
▸Dr. Jhy-Wey Shieh, Taiwanese Ambassador to Belgium
▸Penpa Tsering, President of the Tibetan Central Administration (TCA)
▸Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) & Chair of the WUC Executive Committee
▸Tsuni Cheng, Vice President of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD)
▸Moderator: Carl Gershman, Founding President of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
10:00–11:00
Panel 2: Tracing Complicity: Business, Supply Chains & Human Rights
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
🎤 Keynote Speaker: Member of Parliament Yves-François Blanchet, Canada
This panel will examine the growing global movement to hold corporations accountable for links to Uyghur forced labour and other serious human rights abuses embedded within international supply chains.
Speakers
▸Tilman Massa, Co-Director, Association of Ethical Shareholders
▸Laura Murphy, Senior Associate, Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic & International Studies
▸Dr. Adrian Zenz, Director in China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
▸Dr. Katarina Schwarz, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery
▸Moderator: Bernardo Kaiser, EU Coordinator, WUC
11:00–11:30
Coffee Break
11:30–13:00
Parallel Sessions
↳ Roundtable 1: Codifying Assimilation — China's New Ethnic Unity Framework
Room: Yüsüp Has Hajip
Show details ↓
This roundtable will explore the implications of China's new Ethnic Unity Law and what it signals for the future of state policy toward Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongolians, and other non-Han peoples.
Speakers
▸Kai Müller, International Campaign for Tibet
▸Amy Siu, Secretary General of Freedom for Hong Kong
▸Lebin Ding, Human Rights Activist and Independent China Researcher
▸Rahima Mahmut, Executive Director of Stop Uyghur Genocide
▸Facilitator: Adam King, Regional Director, East Asia and the Pacific at the International Republican Institute
▸Facilitator: Katerina Prochazkova, Researcher at Sinopsis
↳ Roundtable 2: Diasporas Under Pressure — The Threat of Transnational Repression
Room: Iparhan
Show details ↓
This roundtable will examine the growing threat of transnational repression and how authoritarian governments increasingly extend their reach beyond national borders to silence critics, intimidate diaspora communities, and suppress advocacy abroad.
Speakers
▸Basma Mostafa, HRD & Director of Programs at Law and Democracy Support Foundation
▸Tenzyn Zöchbauer, Executive Director of Tibet Initiative Deutschland
▸Barbara Lochbihler, Member of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances
▸Nadthasiri Bergman, Thai Lawyer
▸Facilitator: Dean Baxendale, Publisher at Optimum International
▸Facilitator: Mirjam Kobold, Advisor on Genocide Prevention and R2P, Society for Threatened Peoples
12:00–13:30
Parliamentary Luncheon (by invitation only)
Show details ↓
This special session will feature testimony by a Chinese whistleblower who recently exposed the continued repression in East Turkistan, followed by a report launch on the 10 years since the genocide.
13:00–14:15
Lunch Break
14:15–15:15
Panel 3: The Cities Taking a Stand: Amsterdam, Budapest, Paris & Prague
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
This panel will bring together current and former elected municipal officials from Amsterdam, Budapest, Paris, and Prague who have taken public and practical steps in support of the Uyghur cause and broader human rights values.
Speakers
▸Geneviève Garrigos, Elected Council Member of the Paris City Hall
▸Süleyman Koyuncu, Elected Council Member of the Amsterdam City Hall
▸Zdeněk Hřib, Member of the Czech Parliament & Former Mayor of Prague
▸Ferenc Gelencser, Member of the Hungarian Parliament & Former Deputy Mayor in the 1st District of Budapest
▸Moderator: Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director of René Cassin
15:15–16:15
Panel 4: Did the Multilateral System Fail?
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
🎤 Keynote Speech: Member of Parliament Sameer Zuberi (Canada)
This panel will bring together members of parliament from Canada, France, Sweden, Finland, and the United States to examine one of the defining questions facing the international community today: has the multilateral system failed to respond effectively to mass human rights violations and authoritarian expansionism?
Speakers
▸Member of Parliament Bilal Bilici, Türkiye
▸Member of Parliament Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Canada
▸Shadow Senator Paul Strauss, District of Columbia, United States
▸Senator Antoinette Guhl, France
▸Moderator: Kai Müller, Executive Director, International Campaign for Tibet
16:15–16:30
Lightning Talk: Uyghur Transitional Justice Database (UTJD)
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
This lightning talk will explore how emerging technologies can strengthen the documentation and exposure of human rights violations committed against Uyghurs.
Speakers
▸Adiljan Abdurehim, Coordinator and Data Technician at Uyghur Transitional Justice Database (UTJD)
16:30–17:00
Coffee Break
17:00–18:30
Parallel Sessions
↳ Roundtable 3: Beyond Burnout — Building Sustainable Activism
Room: Yüsüp Has Hajip
Show details ↓
🎤 Keynote Speaker: Dr. Thomas Schulze, Professor of Psychiatry
This roundtable will explore the often-overlooked emotional and psychological impact of long-term human rights advocacy, repression, displacement, and community trauma.
Speakers
▸Dr. Thomas Wenzel, Professor of Psychiatry at Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU)
▸Maira Aisaeva, Chair of the WUC Women's Committee
▸Benedict Rogers, Senior Director at Fortify Rights, co-founder and Chair of Hong Kong Watch
▸Rizwanay Ilham, President of the Swiss Uyghur Association and Chair of the WUC Youth Committee
▸Facilitator: Dr. Rishat Abbas, President of Uyghur Academy International
▸Facilitator: Sharof Azizov, President and Director of Justice for All International
↳ Roundtable 4: Strengthening the Uyghur Resilience Movement (in Uyghur)
Room: Iparhan
Show details ↓
Speakers
▸Kalbinur Sidik, Uyghur Camp Survivor
▸Dr. Muhtar Abdurahman, Chair of the WUC Research Center
▸Dr. Erkin Emet, President of World Uyghur Congress Foundation and Professor of Turkology at Ankara University
▸Sawut Memet, Chair of China Affairs Committee
▸Facilitator: Abdulhamit Karahan, Deputy of WUC Executive Committee
▸Facilitator: Endili Memetkerim, Chair of WUC Health Committee
19:00–21:00
Dinner
Day 3 — Saturday, June 13
9:00–10:00
Panel 5: What Next? Advancing International Accountability and Multilateral Response (UN)
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
This panel will examine the future of international accountability efforts and the role of the United Nations in responding to ongoing human rights violations against Uyghurs and other affected communities.
Speakers
▸Dr. Katarina Schwarz, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Form of Slavery
▸Prof. John Packer, Associate Professor of Law at University of Ottawa
▸Zumretay Arkin, Vice President of the WUC
▸Moderator: Raphael Viana David, Senior Advocacy Manager at the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
10:00–11:00
Panel 6: The Courthouse and the Geopolitical Ceiling — Why Law Isn't Enough
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
🎤 Keynote Speaker: Geoffrey Nice, British Barrister, Chief Prosecutor at the ICTY
This panel will explore the growing gap between international law and international political reality when confronting mass atrocities, state repression, and crimes committed by powerful governments.
Speakers
▸Mercè Monjé, Secretary-General of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO)
▸Hamid Sabi, Human Rights Lawyer
▸Michael van Walt, Human Rights Lawyer
▸Lobsang Sangay, Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School and Former President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)
▸Moderator: John Packer, Associate Professor of Law at University of Ottawa
11:00–11:30
Coffee Break
11:30–13:00
Parallel Sessions
↳ Roundtable 5: Contemporary Uyghur Identity, Culture and Historical Memory
Room: Yüsüp Has Hajip
Show details ↓
🎤 Keynote Speaker: Dr. Rishat Abbas, President of Uyghur Academy International
This roundtable will explore the evolving nature of contemporary Uyghur identity through the lenses of culture, historical memory, and intellectual heritage.
Speakers
▸Dr. Rian Thum, Senior Lecturer in East Asian History at University of Manchester
▸Dr. Michael Reinhard Hess, Turkologist
▸Dr. Ondrej Klimes, Research Fellow at Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
▸Dr. Ablet Semet, Turkologist
▸Facilitator: Dr. Erkin Sidik, President of Uyghur Projects Foundation
▸Facilitator: Mercè Monjé, Secretary-General of UNPO
↳ Roundtable 6: No Safe Haven — Uyghur Refugees and Global Insecurity
Room: Iparhan
Show details ↓
This roundtable will examine the challenges Uyghur refugees continue to face in seeking safety, legal protection, and long-term stability across different regions of the world.
Speakers
▸Adiljan Abdukérim, Chair of WUC's Refugees Center
▸Polat Sayim, Deputy Chair of the WUC Executive Committee
▸Nadthasiri Bergman, Thai Human Rights Lawyer
▸Iveta Vancáková, Policy coordinator for V4 countries
▸Facilitator: Mutalip Kurban, WUC Executive Committee Vice Chair
13:00–14:15
Lunch Break
14:15–15:15
Panel 7: The Belt and Road Initiative Trap
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
🎤 Keynote Speaker: Gabriel Salvia, Director General, Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de América Latina (CADAL)
This panel will examine the political, economic, and strategic implications of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with particular focus on its impact across the Global South.
Speakers
▸Adam King, Asia Director at the International Republican Institute
▸Gheyyur Kurban, Berlin Director & Treasurer, WUC
▸Prof. Dr. Isik Kuscu Bonnenfant, Professor at the Middle East Technical University
▸Mutellip Kurban, Vice Chair of the Executive Committee, WUC
▸Moderator: Carl Gershman, Founding President of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
15:15–16:15
Parallel Events
↳ Event 1: Book Fair + Q&A
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
Speakers
▸Ethan Gutmann, Senior Research Fellow, China Studies at Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
▸Rushan Abbas, Executive Director, Campaign for Uyghurs & Executive Committee Chair, WUC
▸Aziz Isa Elkun, President, Uyghur PEN Centre
▸Dolkun Isa, President, UZDM
▸Kalbinur Sidik, Camp Survivor
▸Moderator: Dean Baxendale, Publisher at Optimum International
↳ Event 2: Testimony of Whistleblower Zhang Yabo
Room: Yüsüp Has Hajip
16:15–16:45
Coffee Break
16:45–17:45
Panel 8: From Surveillance to Criminalisation — Attacks on Religious Freedom
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
Show details ↓
🎤 Keynote Speaker: Prof. Ahmed Shaheed, Professor of International Human Rights Law at Essex University, Former UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB
This panel will examine the systematic restrictions on freedom of religion or belief faced by Uyghurs and the broader implications for international human rights protections.
Speakers
▸Adiljan Abdurihim, Coordinator and Data Technician at UTJD
▸Abdulhakim Idris, Executive Director of the Center for Uyghur Studies
▸Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director of René Cassin
17:45–18:30
Closing Ceremony
Room: Mahmut Kashgari
19:00–21:00
Dinner