Uyghur Human Rights Project

06/23/2026

📝New UHRP report by Elijah Pockell-Wilson finds that 🇦🇺Australia and 🇯🇵Japan remain vulnerable to imports linked to Uyghur forced labor.

Forced labor risks are not being eliminated from global supply chains — rather, they are being redistributed to markets that lack effective import controls.

Neither Australia’s Modern Slavery Act nor Japan’s human rights supply chain guidelines require companies to demonstrate that imported goods are free from forced labor before entering the market.

Redirected Risk finds that high-risk goods are still entering mid-sized markets: in 2024, Australia imported ~ US$4.82 billion in goods from high-risk sectors associated with Uyghur forced labor, while Japan imported ~ US$6.71 billion.

Transparency and guidance alone are insufficient when supply chains involve regions where independent verification is restricted or unreliable.

“Forced labor does not disappear when one market tries to close its doors,” said report author Elijah Pockell-Wilson. “Without stronger import controls, Australia and Japan risk becoming destination markets for goods made with Uyghur forced labor that other countries are working to block.”

Governments should:

➡️ Adopt forced-labor import bans modeled on the UFLPA
➡️ Pair import bans w/ traceability, customs authority, & mandatory due diligence
➡️ Coordinate enforcement across major & mid-sized markets
➡️ Include civil society & affected communities in enforcement

Read the full report:
🔗 https://uhrp.org/report/redirected-risk-uyghur-forced-labor-and-the-enforcement-gap-in-australia-and-japan/

06/15/2026

🗣️ Today is 🗣️

China’s forced assimilation campaign — forcing children to speak only Chinese, targeting Uyghur language advocates, destroying Uyghur books, and banning Uyghur songs — threatens the survival of the Uyghur language.

In a recent Financial Times report by Alison Killing, Uyghur linguist Abduweli Ayup warns that “young children lose their language very quickly.” Family separation and Mandarin-only education are creating a “generational gap,” with many Uyghur children forgetting their language and losing connection to their community.

The same report documents the suppression and destruction of Uyghur literature:

“There used to be 10 different Uyghur-language publishers, but they have gone,” says anthropologist Rune Steenberg. Uyghur books have been “removed from bookstores… they’ve been removed from people’s homes, they’ve been removed from libraries in huge stacks.”

Dozens of Uyghur songs, like the beloved folk ballad “Besh pede,” were banned by Chinese authorities, according to AP reporting by Simina Minstreanu:

“[A]uthorities warned residents that those who listened to banned songs, stored them on devices or shared them on social media could face prison. Attendees were also instructed to avoid phrases like 'As-salamu alaykum,' the greeting common among Muslims, and to replace the popular farewell 'Allahqa amanet' — 'May God keep you safe' — with 'May the Communist Party protect you.'"

Language is the medium of memory, identity, community, and survival. Amid the Chinese government's attempts at eradication, is a powerful symbol of Uyghur resilience.

Learn more:

https://www.ft.com/content/119d8c3a-e10f-4bf7-a198-90507293054b?syn-25a6b1a6=1

https://apnews.com/article/china-uyghur-banned-songs-xinjiang-f63ad27225ab1fc021c8d8949ca799c4

https://www.cecc.gov/publications/commission-analysis/draft-ethnic-unity-law-intensifies-language-and-cultural

https://thediplomat.com/2026/02/chinas-erasure-of-ethnic-minority-languages/

https://uhrp.org/report/resisting-chinese-linguistic-imperialism-abduweli-ayup-and-movement-uyghur-mother/

https://uhrp.org/report/uhrp-releases-report-bilingual-education-east-turkestan-uyghur-voices-education-html/

New report highlights assimilative language policy through firsthand accounts

06/11/2026

📖 New – A biweekly roundup of essential reporting and analysis on the Uyghur crisis, curated by UHRP staff.

Issue 25: May 28 – June 10, 2026

🌏 Hidden Supply-Chains: A new Jamestown report by Jonah Reisboard warns that Chinese-controlled digital trade and logistics platforms could undermine enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act by obscuring supply-chain data.

🎭 Digital Transnational Repression: Chinese intelligence-linked actors have used fake recruiters and consulting firms to target journalists, researchers, and officials, part of broader campaigns targeting Uyghurs, writes Scilla Alecci (The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists).

🏗️ Investment Amid Abuses: Beijing is pushing major investments in infrastructure, tourism, and energy to further integrate East Turkistan and Tibet into China's economy despite ongoing human rights abuses. Reporting for Financial Times, Edward White, Nassos Stylianou, Jana Tauschinski, Caroline Nevitt, Dan Clark, and Emma Lewis warn that this risks normalizing repression.

🚨 New Phase of Repression: Despite the closure of many internment camps, repression in the Uyghur region continues through mass incarceration, surveillance, boarding schools, and forced labor, writes Alison Killing for Financial Times.

🏭 Expanding Military Infrastructure: A Reuters investigation by Greg Torode, Laurie Chen, and Vijdan Mohammad Kawoosa found China is building launch pads near nuclear missile silos in the Uyghur Region, underscoring the region's strategic importance to Beijing.

🔎 Read the full Uyghur Reader:

Issue 25:  May 28, 2026 – June 10, 2026 Welcome to the twenty-fifth issue of the Uyghur Reader, a biweekly content roundup curated by the staff of the Uyghur Human Rights Project.  Each issue features carefully selected articles, reports, and publications from media outlets, academic institutio...

06/04/2026

🕯️37 years after the Tiananmen Square Massacre, UHRP stands with the victims, their families, and all who seek truth, accountability, and freedom.

The CCP’s impunity after June 4 paved the way for the atrocities we see today.

The Chinese government must acknowledge the truth and end the repression of those seeking justice.

For immediate releaseJune 4, 2026, 10 a.m. EDTContact: Omer Kanat, +1 (202) 790-1795; Adaire Criner, +1 (612) 720-1136 Thirty-seven years after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) violently suppressed the peaceful pro-democracy protests in Beijing on June 4, 1989, the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP...

05/29/2026

📖 New – A biweekly roundup of essential reporting and analysis on the Uyghur crisis, curated by UHRP staff.

Issue 24, May 14, 2026 – May 27, 2026

📸 Data Centers & Surveillance Tech: In a new report from C4ADS, Mishel Kondi warns that China's expanding data centers, a key part of the surveillance infrastructure targeting Uyghurs, rely on American and Taiwanese technology.

📝 Family Separation: In a moving letter published by Kashgar Times, Akida Pulat reflects on nine years of separation from her mother, imprisoned Uyghur scholar Rahile Dawut, marking her mother's birthday and highlighting her dedication to preserving Uyghur culture.

🇨🇳 "State Secret" Regulations: China's new security regulation in the Uyghur Region broadens the definition of "state secrets," further restricting access to information, warns Asiye Uyghur, writing for Global Voices.

📦 Forced Labor Import Bans: In a new policy brief, Laura Murphy and the Ryan-Carr Center for Human Rights outline how governments can strengthen forced labor import bans through mechanisms including rebuttable presumptions and greater international coordination.

🏭Forced Labor Transfers: The transfer of Uyghur laborers to factories across China has increased since the end of China’s zero-COVID policies, raising concerns over forced labor in global supply chains, warns Adrian Zenz, as reported by Simon Ferrigno for Ecotextile News.

🔎Read the full Uyghur Reader:

Issue 24: May 14, 2026 – May 27, 2026 Welcome to the twenty-fourth issue of the Uyghur Reader, a biweekly content roundup curated by the staff of the Uyghur Human Rights Project. Each issue features carefully selected articles, reports, and publications from media outlets, academic institutions, N...

05/29/2026

Family separation is not a side effect of the Chinese government's abuses against Uyghurs – it is a deliberate tool of transnational repression used to silence Uyghurs far beyond China's borders.

Yesterday, UHRP and International Republican Institute (IRI) hosted a discussion on a recent UHRP report, Fading Ties: Uyghur Family Separation as a Tool of Transnational Repression.

Thank you to report author Henryk Szadziewski for presenting key report findings, Mihrigul Tursun for sharing her powerful testimony, and all who joined us to highlight this urgent issue.

Read the full report to learn more: https://uhrp.org/report/fading-ties-uyghur-family-separation-as-a-tool-of-transnational-repression/

05/20/2026

Please join International Republican Institute (IRI) and Uyghur Human Rights Project for a discussion on UHRP's recent report, Fading Ties: Uyghur Family Separation as a Tool of Transnational Repression.

📅 Thursday, May 28, 2026
🕒 3:00 PM ET
📍1225 I (Eye) Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005

The conversation will feature report author Henryk Szadziewski, who will share additional insights and analysis from his research, followed by a discussion on the broader implications of transnational repression and its impact on Uyghur families worldwide. Light snacks and beverages will be provided.

🔗 RSVP: https://forms.gle/Srg4n1rPHYnQyJPy8

05/20/2026

Today is renowned Uyghur scholar Dr. Rahile Dawut's 60th birthday.

Instead of celebrating with her loved ones, she is spending this milestone behind bars, serving a life sentence in a Chinese prison.

Dr. Rahile Dawut is highly respected internationally for her scholarship documenting Uyghur folklore and traditions. Her research is not a crime. Documenting Uyghur culture is not a crime.

China must release Rahile Dawut immediately and free all unjustly detained and imprisoned Uyghur scholars, intellectuals, writers, and cultural leaders.

The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) is appalled to learn that Professor Rahile Dawut, a highly respected Uyghur anthropologist, was handed a life sentence by the Chinese authorities in 2018.

05/15/2026

📖 New – A biweekly roundup of essential reporting and analysis on the Uyghur crisis, curated by UHRP staff.

Issue 23, April 30 – May 13, 2026

🗣️Activists Warn US Attention Fading: Amid the Trump-Xi summit, Uyghur activists warn the Trump administration has largely stopped publicly addressing China's persecution of Uyghurs. Amy Qin reports for The New York Times that reduced attention to human rights and no new forced labor sanctions risk weakening international pressure on China.

🇬🇧 Limited Policy Action in UK: Five years after the UK formally recognized the Uyghur genocide, concrete policy action remains lacking. Rahima Mahmut, writing for The Diplomat Magazine urges stronger import restrictions, mandatory human rights due diligence, and trade policy aligned with the ethical implications of that designation.

🇨🇭 Swiss Inaction on TNR: For swissinfo, Dorian Burkhalter reports that human rights organizations criticized the Swiss government for failing to adequately protect Uyghur and Tibetan communities from Chinese transnational repression, including surveillance, intimidation, and threats against family members in the Uyghur Region.

⚖️ Forced Labor Enforcement Gaps: David Lawder (Reuters) reports on USTR hearings into countries accused of failing to block imports made with forced labor. Activists warn imports ties to Uyghur forced labor, banned in the US by the UFLPA, still enter global markets via countries lacking sufficient enforcement mechanisms.

🇸🇪 Diaspora Resilience Under Pressure: In the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies, Michel Harb and Arne Wackenhut document how China’s transnational repression targets Uyghur activists in Sweden through surveillance, intimidation, and threats to family members—while many activists say these experiences have strengthened their commitment to speaking out.

🔎Read the full Uyghur Reader:

Issue 23: April 30, 2026 – May 13, 2026 Welcome to the twenty-third issue of the Uyghur Reader, a biweekly content roundup curated by the staff of the Uyghur Human Rights Project. Each issue features carefully selected articles, reports, and publications from media outlets, academic institutions, ...

05/11/2026

New Op-Ed by Omer Kanat:

Trump must put detained Uyghur intellectuals on the agenda for his upcoming meeting with Xi.

Across the Uyghur diaspora in the United States, families are living with the same cruel separation: their relatives, including many of the most respected Uyghur intellectuals of their generation, are imprisoned by the Chinese government.

If Trump sits across from Xi and fails to raise the cases of Uyghur Americans and their families, Beijing will read that omission not as pragmatism, but as weakness.

Read more in The Diplomat Magazine⬇️

If Trump sits across from Xi and fails to raise the cases of Uyghur Americans and their families, Beijing will read that omission not as pragmatism, but as weakness.