Munich
World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has made a strong appeal to the Chinese government to halt the persecution of Uyghur activists’ families, highlighting serious human rights abuses. In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday night, the WUC emphasized that this persecution is part of a broader pattern of transnational repression.
Dolkun Isa, the current WUC leader and former president, has personally experienced these threats for over 30 years due to his activism. His statement came after the Xinjiang Victims Database reported that his brother, Hushtar, has been sentenced to life imprisonment, a revelation confirmed by recorded calls to police in Aksu, Xinjiang.
Isa recounted the tragic fate of his family, sharing, “My younger brother Hushtar disappeared in 2016. I later learned from Radio Free Asia about his sentence. My older brother Yalqun received at least 17 years. My mother died in a concentration camp in 2018, and my father passed away in 2020. Their only crime was being Uyghur and related to me.” He called for international support to protect the remaining members of his family.
The WUC’s call to action highlights the urgent need for global advocacy to protect Uyghur families vulnerable to state repression. The Uyghur community has faced severe human rights violations in Xinjiang, including the detention of over a million Uyghurs in so-called “re-education camps” and widespread cultural suppression. As calls for accountability grow, the WUC continues to demand justice for Uyghur families facing persecution and repression in China.
