WUC releases September newsletter: recaps September advocacy at the UN and the European Parliament; second International Women's Meeting held in Istanbul

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According to October 10 and 11 reports by the Asian News International (ANI) news agency, datelined Munich, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has released its September newsletter recapping its September international advocacy: Vice President Zumretay Arkin addressed the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 9, urging member states to take concrete action on the 2022 OHCHR assessment on Xinjiang; in mid-September, WUC and UZDM representatives held advocacy meetings at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, discussing China's newly enacted Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, individual detained Uyghur cases, and presenting a report marking ten years since the start of the mass internment campaign; the Women's Committee held its second International Women's Meeting in Istanbul on September 12–13, with more than 50 women, activists and young participants discussing preservation of the Uyghur language and identity, women's participation, mental health and the security challenges facing Uyghurs in exile.

Why it matters

This is the WUC's official recap of its September advocacy: placing the Human Rights Council statement, European Parliament lobbying and the women's meeting side by side shows its advocacy shifting from individual-case appeals toward framing narratives such as 'ten years of mass internment', echoing the European Parliament's October 7 recommendations on EU-China relations. The newsletter's contents, as carried by the ANI wire, are the organisation's own statements; the parts on the HRC63 statement and the September 16 open letter to Xi Jinping are corroborated by this site's two October 9 records (the ISHR HRC63 recap and the open letter). This site has not independently verified all the newsletter's details — hence the 'under ongoing verification' grading.

Full report

According to ANI reports datelined Munich on October 10 and 11, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has released its September newsletter recapping its September international advocacy. According to the newsletter, Vice President Zumretay Arkin addressed the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on September 9, urging member states to take concrete action following the 2022 assessment of the situation in Xinjiang by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. [1][2]

The newsletter said that in mid-September, WUC and UZDM representatives held advocacy meetings at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, meeting several Members of the European Parliament to discuss China's newly enacted Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, individual detained Uyghur cases and the ongoing genocide allegations, and presenting a report marking ten years since the beginning of the mass internment campaign. [1][3]

The newsletter also said the WUC Women's Committee held its second International Women's Meeting in Istanbul on September 12–13, bringing together more than 50 women, activists and young participants to discuss the preservation of the Uyghur language and identity, women's participation, mental health and the security challenges facing Uyghurs living in exile. The newsletter further noted WUC's participation in an open letter to Xi Jinping signed by 28 human rights organisations (another version dated September 16), calling for the release of prisoners of conscience and an end to transnational repression. [1][2][3]

Verification note: this record documents the publicly reported act — the WUC's release of its September newsletter (ANI wire, carried by multiple outlets). The newsletter's account of its September advocacy is the organisation's own statement; the parts on the HRC63 statement and the September 16 open letter to Xi Jinping are corroborated by this site's two October 9 records (the ISHR HRC63 recap and the open letter). This site has not independently verified all the newsletter's details, and the record is marked 'under ongoing verification'. This site will continue to follow up. [1][2][3]

Primary sources

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