The urgency for global action was emphasized by panelists at a two-day interfaith conference on disrupting Uyghur genocide, organized by The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and concluded on Thursday.
Survivors, experts, religious leaders, and activists gathered to discuss the plight of the Uyghurs, urging governments to adopt pro-Uyghur policies and pressure businesses benefiting from Uyghur forced labor, as stated in a notice on the foundation’s website.
Approximately 1.8 million mostly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups have been detained in “re-education” camps in Xinjiang, part of China’s effort to eradicate the Uyghur culture, language, and religion. The United States and other Western nations recognize these actions as genocide and crimes against humanity.
Despite China’s denial of human rights abuses, Western governments have addressed the Uyghur genocide directly with Chinese officials, and legislation like the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act impose consequences on those responsible.
The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, known for its advocacy work, awarded grants to Uyghur rights groups in 2023, aiming to raise awareness and combat ongoing repression by Chinese authorities. Elisha Wiesel, the foundation’s chairman, emphasized the need to expose the intolerable actions of the Chinese government.
The foundation faces challenges in spreading awareness about the Uyghur genocide, including China’s information censorship and difficulty in engaging celebrities due to economic ties with China. Despite these challenges, efforts to combat the genocide continue in honor of Elie Wiesel’s legacy.
Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.