Events themed around combating the Uyghur genocide have begun in Washington. During the meeting, experts and activists discussed ongoing human rights violations in East Turkistan and called for stronger international solidarity.
The large-scale program was launched on December 9, 2025, under the leadership of the Uyghur Academy and the Uyghur Movement, in cooperation with the Australian Uyghur Association, Uyghur Research Center (USA), Drexel University, East Turkistan Association of Canada, East Turkistan Research Foundation (Turkey), George Washington University, International Campaign for Tibet, International Republican Institute (IRI), National Democratic Institute (NDI), National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Swiss Uyghur Association, Uyghur American Association (UAA), Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights (Germany), European Uyghur Cultural Center (Norway), Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (Canada), Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC), and the World Uyghur Congress (Germany).
The events were held to mark several significant dates:
— December 9 Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day, declared after the 2021 ruling of the independent Uyghur Tribunal in London that China’s actions constitute racial genocide;
— December 10 International Human Rights Day;
— and the anniversary of the December 12, 1985 Uyghur Student Protest in Ürümchi against repressive Chinese policies.
The program included a press conference, panel discussions, roundtable sessions, and a cultural exhibition.
Delegates and researchers from around the world first gathered on December 9 at the National Press Club for the “December 9 Uyghur Genocide Recognition Press Conference.”
The opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Rishat Abbas, President of the Uyghur Academy, pharmaceutical researcher, and Senior Advisor to the World Uyghur Congress. In his speech, he emphasized:
“On December 9, 2021, the independent Uyghur Tribunal in London ruled that the Chinese government has committed genocide, crimes against humanity, and acts of torture against the Uyghurs. This decision has become a major point of reference for governments and policymakers worldwide.
The United States has demonstrated strong leadership through the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act (2020) and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (2021). However, even the strongest laws are ineffective without consistent enforcement.
The painful truth is that the Uyghur genocide has not stopped. Mass detentions, forced labor, family separations, religious repression, and efforts to erase Uyghur identity continue today.
We therefore call on the U.S. Congress to advance the ‘Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act’ and the ‘Uyghur Policy Act.’ We also urge governments worldwide to rigorously enforce anti–forced labor laws and protect Uyghurs in the diaspora from the Chinese Communist Party’s transnational repression.”
Dolkun Isa, former President of the World Uyghur Congress and current President of the Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Center, also addressed the audience:
“Four years ago in London, as we awaited the Tribunal’s verdict, our community felt fear, anxiety, and hope all at once. When Tribunal Chair Geoffrey Nice announced the ruling of ‘crimes against humanity and racial genocide,’ it broke the silence in democratic countries and validated the collective suffering of the Uyghur people.
Despite limited resources and China’s attempts to intimidate witnesses and discredit the process, the Tribunal successfully completed its work. Its conclusions were shared with democratic governments, parliaments, and international institutions.
Ultimately, led by the United States, ten national parliaments and the European Parliament recognized the Uyghur genocide. A year later, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released a historic report noting that China’s actions may constitute crimes against humanity. The Uyghur Tribunal served as a key foundation for this process.
We remind states that acknowledging the genocide must go beyond symbolism; they must take concrete steps to protect Uyghur rights.”
Rushan Abbas, President of Campaign for Uyghurs and Executive Committee Chair of the World Uyghur Congress, emphasized:
“Today, on December 9 Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day, we gather for truth, justice, and to stop the genocide.
Although many democratic nations and the UN have acknowledged China’s atrocities, the genocide continues. Millions have been detained, women forcibly sterilized, men transferred to forced labor, families torn apart, and children subjected to identity erasure.
China continues to deny its crimes through propaganda while targeting Uyghurs abroad with transnational repression. East Turkistan has become the testing ground for a 21st-century model of genocide.
This struggle is not only for the Uyghurs but for the protection of global democracy and freedom.”
Omer Kanat, Director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project and Senior Advisor to the World Uyghur Congress, highlighted the critical role that UHRP’s evidence and reports played in the Tribunal’s findings. He praised the courage of camp survivors — including Kalbinur Sidik, Gulbahar Celilova, Zumrat Dawut, Tursunay Ziyawudun, Mihrigul Tursun, and Omer Bekali — who testified despite threats and pressure, and concluded by urging democratic nations to take concrete action against China.
Rizwanay Ilham, Director of the WUC Youth Committee and representative of the Swiss Uyghur Association, stated:
“The Uyghur Tribunal’s judgment is not only a legal ruling; it is an urgent call to the international community.
This issue is not limited to democratic states recognizing the Uyghur genocide; it also requires them to fulfill their democratic responsibility to protect persecuted Uyghurs and hold perpetrators accountable.
Concrete measures must be taken against companies complicit in forced labor, and democracies led by the United States must go beyond verbal concern to real action.”
At the end of the meeting, Misran Dolan, President of the Uyghur American Association, stressed that Uyghurs have faced unprecedented oppression over the last eight years and highlighted the critical role that younger generations growing up in the diaspora will play in the future of the Uyghur struggle.
More than 40 participants — including leaders of Uyghur organizations, intellectuals, and American supporters — attended the press conference.
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