Gheyur Qurban, Director of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) Berlin office, delivered a strong speech at the 17th Session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, drawing attention to the Chinese government’s continued genocide and systemic repression of the Uyghur people in East Turkistan.
During his address, Chinese representatives attempted to disrupt the session by falsely labeling the World Uyghur Congress {WUC} as a “separatist organization” and called for Qurban to be silenced.
Despite these efforts to intimidate him, Qurban remained resolute, continuing his speech and drawing attention to the Chinese government’s decades-long policies of forced assimilation, mass detention, and cultural surpression of Uyghur population.
The WUC leader highlighted the severe atrocities endured by the Uyghur people, including the arbitrary detention of up to three million individuals in Chinese-run internment camps. which he described as among the most extreme forms of oppression since World War II.
Qurban also condemned China’s systematic efforts to replace the Uyghur language with Chinese, erasing Uyghur cultural and historical references, and imposing forced labour on Uyghur people in factories across China.
Qurban also condemned China’s systematic efforts to replace the Uyghur language with Chinese, erasing Uyghur cultural and historical references, and imposing forced labour on Uyghur people in factories across the country.
“China’s policies seek to eliminate our identity and autonomy, forcing us into a suffocating existence with no basic freedoms,” Qurban stated. “We call on the international community to hold the Chinese government accountable for its crimes against humanity and genocide.”
Despite the disruption, Qurban expressed gratitude the UN Forum for providing a platform to amplify Uyghur voices. He emphasized the need of international recognition and accountability for the atrocities committed by China, which have been condemned as genocide and crimes against humanity by multiple countries and human rights organizations.
The WUC remains dedicated to exposing the scale of human rights abuses against the Uyghur people and advocating for global action to end the ongoing repression in East Turkistan.
China has faced incresing international criticism over its human rights record, particularly regarding its policies in regions like Xinjiang (East Turkistan), Tibet, and Hong Kong. In Xinjiang, which is home to the Uyghur population and other Turkic ethnic groups, reports of human rights abuses have escalated in recent years.
The Chinese government is accused of detaining over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in “vocational training centers,” but many experts and human rights groups describe these as internment camps aimed at forced cultural assimilation. Allegations against the Chinese authorities include forced labour, torture, indoctrination, and the repression of religious practices.