The Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights (UZDM)

Joined August 2025
📢 Uyghur Rights Beyond China’s Borders: China’s Transnational Repression On 12 November 2026, WUC and @UZDM_eV will organise a roundtable discussion in Berlin as part of Berlin Freedom Week. The event will examine China’s transnational repression targeting Uyghurs abroad, the implications of its new Ethnic Unity Law, and how Germany and Europe can better protect individuals and communities exercising their fundamental freedoms. 📅 12 November 2026 | 16:00–18:00 📍 Taipei Representative Office, Markgrafenstraße 35, 10117 Berlin 🔗 Register here: eventbrite.de/e/uyghur-right…
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🔴In an in-depth interview with Polish broadcaster @TVPWorld_com, UZDM President @Dolkun_Isa discusses the human rights situation in East Turkistan, his personal journey, and the price he has paid for his activism. He also addresses the growing threat of transnational repression and the steps European governments and other states should take to protect those targeted and hold perpetrators accountable. Watch the full interview youtu.be/6O8jJ7QJtmE?is=sk-q…
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Yesterday, the Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights, in cooperation with the @UyghurCongress, organised a panel discussion titled “Transnational Repression: R2P in Democracies” as a side event at the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. The discussion focused on how democratic states can better protect individuals and communities targeted by transnational repression, strengthen international cooperation, and fulfil their responsibilities in preventing and responding to cross-border repression. We sincerely thank all our speakers, moderator, and participants for their valuable contributions and engagement in this important discussion.
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While acknowledging her achievements, UZDM expresses deep concern over the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay. During her tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, Pillay shared the names of Uyghur and other Chinese human rights defenders, including UZDM President @Dolkun_Isa, as well as information about their participation in UN Human Rights Council activities, with the Chinese government without their consent. For UZDM, these raise serious concerns about the protection of human rights defenders and the trust placed in international human rights institutions, particularly given the potential risks to the individuals concerned and their families.
The decision to award Navi Pillay the Nobel Peace Prize raises painful questions that I cannot leave unanswered. For years, I have advocated for the rights of the Uyghur people at the UN. Yet within the very institution entrusted with protecting human rights, I have faced Chinese pressure, surveillance and attempts to silence me. In 2017, I was forcibly removed from UN premises. During Pillay’s tenure as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, particularly in 2012–2013, I encountered serious obstacles to accreditation and access. I later learned that the office she led had shared information about my participation, and that of other human rights defenders, with the Chinese government without our consent. For me, this was a profound betrayal of trust by an institution that should have protected us. The responsibility for this practice still demands a full and transparent accounting. I acknowledge Pillay’s achievements and courage in other areas. But those achievements cannot erase the failure to protect our rights and safety during her leadership. Nor have I seen from her the strong, unequivocal solidarity that I expected in the face of the Uyghur genocide. This is deeply personal. My family has paid a devastating price for my human rights advocacy. My mother died in a Chinese internment camp in 2018. My two brothers remain in Chinese prisons. A Nobel Peace Prize does not place anyone beyond accountability. I want answers: Why was information about human rights defenders shared with China? Who authorised it? And why did those entrusted with our protection fail us? Human rights are universal. That promise must include the Uyghur people.
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🇨🇿WUC and @UZDM_eV Delegation Attends Forum 2000 in Prague WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun and UZDM President @Dolkun_Isa are attending @Forum_2000 in Prague, where they are engaging with political representatives to raise awareness of the ongoing human rights situation in East Turkistan. As part of their advocacy efforts, the delegation met with Jiří Oberfalzer, Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Czech Republic, to discuss the current situation in East Turkistan, individual cases of Uyghurs facing persecution, and transnational repression targeting Uyghur community in Europe and around the world. During the forum, the delegation also had the opportunity to meet German MP @RKiesewetter and @starkwatzinger, former Member of the German Bundestag and former Federal Minister of Education and Research. Additionally, at the opening of the forum, the delegation met with two inspiring figures: @Tsihanouskaya, the democratic leader of Belarus, and @TawakkolKarman, a Yemeni journalist, politician, and recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
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📢 Transnational Repression: R2P in Democracies On 14 October 2026, UZDM together with @UyghurCongress, @JPTi_J4Ai, and @iforHumanRights, will hold a side event in Warsaw examining how democratic states can better protect individuals and communities targeted by transnational repression. 📅 14 October | 09:00–10:00 📍 Sofitel Victoria Warsaw, Meeting Room 2 – Saski The discussion will bring together human rights advocates and experts to explore legal protections, prevention, accountability, and practical support for those targeted across borders, with the aim of developing a practical “Warsaw Protection Framework.”
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UZDM and @UyghurCongress representatives visited Mevlana Mosque in Berlin, where they met with hundreds of young Turkish Muslims. During the event, UZDM President @Dolkun_Isa gave an in-depth presentation on the ongoing situation in East Turkistan and held a signing of his book, My Resistance Against China.
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Replying to @Starbucks
@Starbucks, a company that has previously maintained a “neutral” position on matters related to genocide, is once again choosing to ignore a dire human rights situation—this time in East Turkistan—by opening stores in the region. WUC calls on @Starbucks to close these stores and stand on the right side of history. Companies should not contribute to an economy where state-imposed forced labour remains a serious concern, nor normalize business as usual amid ongoing human rights abuses against Uyghurs.
This week, @Starbucks opened stores in Xinjiang, the Chinese region where the CCP is committing genocide against Uyghurs and other minorities. Every cup sold in these stores ties an iconic American brand to the CCP’s brutal campaign against the Uyghurs. Starbucks should immediately reverse course and close its stores in Xinjiang.
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On 2 October, I will join distinguished experts to discuss “Transnational Repression: The Long Arm of Authoritarian Regimes” at a side event during the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. Together, we will explore how to confront cross-border repression and protect those targeted.
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🇺🇳This week, WUC and @UZDM_eV representatives participated in the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, raising the ongoing human rights violations against Uyghurs in East Turkistan. The delegation highlighted the risks facing Uyghur refugees, China’s newly enacted Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, and the need for stronger international accountability and protection of Uyghur rights. We thank the governments of Switzerland, Japan, Czechia, Estonia, the Netherlands, Germany, Finland and Ireland, as well as the European Union, for raising the situation of Uyghurs and human rights violations in East Turkistan in their statements and for keeping the Uyghur issue on the international agenda.
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Grazie per il vostro continuo sostegno alla causa degli Uiguri @GiulioTerzi
Cosa si cela dietro il boom delle auto cinesi in Europa. Scrive Terzi formiche.net/2026/09/uiguri-… "La testimonianza di @Dolkun_Isa a #Fenix riporta l’attenzione sulle persecuzioni degli uiguri. Ma la questione arriva anche in Europa, attraverso filiere che vanno dal cotone alla componentistica automobilistica. Sorge, quindi, spontanea una riflessione. Se nell’Ue chiediamo alle nostre imprese di competere rispettando standard sociali, ambientali e di sicurezza sempre più elevati, come possiamo al tempo stesso consentire che nel nostro mercato entrino prodotti il cui costo è sì vantaggioso, ma grazie allo sfruttamento, alle centrali energetiche tutt’altro che green e ai sussidi di Stato? È appena iniziato l’iter d’esame nella Quarta Commissione politiche dell’Ue del Senato sulla legge di delegazione europea 2026. Nel regolamento si chiede il divieto dei prodotti realizzati tramite lavoro forzato in qualsiasi fase della loro produzione, indipendentemente che siano prodotti in Europa o importati da Paesi terzi. È un principio sacrosanto da applicare con attenzione alle nostre catene di approvvigionamento globali." Mio articolo per @formichenews @FratellidItalia @fdieuropa @FDI_Parlamento @ecrgroup @Giov_Nazionale @UyghurCongress @GlobalCRL @nazione_futura @GeopoliticalCen @ATA_Italia @ExtremaRatio4 @iuvinale_n @GabrieleIuvina1
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🇺🇳This week, UZDM President @Dolkun_Isa has been advocating for Uyghur rights at the UN in Geneva, speaking during the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council about the dire situation facing Uyghur refugees and calling on states to uphold their non-refoulement obligations and protect Uyghurs from forced return.
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RT @Dolkun_Isa: The Courage of Dissent – Rome 🇮🇹 It was a great pleasure to take part in FENIX 2026 – Il Tempo del Coraggio in Rome and to…
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Uiguri e tibetani, il costo umano della repressione cinese. Scrive Terzi formiche.net/2026/09/cina-ui… Alla manifestazione “Fenix” di Gioventù Nazionale, il leader uiguro Dolkun Isa e la rappresentante tibetana Thinlay Chukki hanno denunciato le violazioni dei diritti umani e la repressione esercitata da Pechino su Uiguri e tibetani. Mio articolo per @formichenews @FratellidItalia @fdieuropa @FDI_Parlamento @ecrgroup @Giov_Nazionale @tchukki @Dolkun_Isa @CTA_TibetdotNet @UyghurCongress @GlobalCRL @nazione_futura @TibetAdvocacy
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UZDM President @Dolkun_Isa spoke at the “FENIX – The Time of Courage” festival in Rome, joining the debate “The Courage of Dissent.” Alongside Senator @GiulioTerzi, Senator Andrea De Priamo, Hon. Roberto Giachetti, and Thinlay Chukki, Representative of the Dalai Lama in Central Europe, Dolkun Isa shared his experience and spoke about the Uyghur struggle for freedom, human rights, and justice.
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UZDM Condemns Continued Prosecution of Hong Kong Democracy Activist @joshuawongcf “Joshua Wong is being punished for peacefully defending freedoms that should never be treated as crimes. His case reflects a broader pattern we know all too well: the Chinese government seeks not only to silence those who challenge its repression, but also to isolate them from international support. The international community must continue to stand with Joshua Wong and all those imprisoned for defending fundamental rights.” – said UZDM President @Dolkun_Isa. uzdm.de/2026/09/05/uzdm-cond…
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Today, the Uyghur community commemorates the Yarkand Massacre—a tragedy that began with a peaceful protest and ended in the mass killing of thousands of Uyghurs. On and after July 28, 2014, Chinese security forces brutally suppressed peaceful demonstrators in Yarkand County, killing countless innocent Uyghur civilians. To this day, the true scale of the massacre remains unknown due to the Chinese government’s complete information blackout. To mark the anniversary and demand justice for the victims, UZDM President @Dolkun_Isa joined the @uyghurcongress team at a protest in front of the Chinese Consulate in Munich.
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