FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CFU PRESS RELEASE
February 2nd, 2024 at 5:10 PM EST
Contact: contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
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Campaign for Uyghurs www.campaignforuyghurs.org
CFU Testifies on CCP’s UN Manipulation at CECC Hearing on UPR Session
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On February 1st, 2024, Rushan Abbas, the Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs, delivered a testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Congressional-Executive Commission on China. The focal point of the hearing, titled “The PRC’s Universal Periodic Review and the Real State of Human Rights in China,” detailed the gross human rights violations and systematic efforts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to manipulate and undermine international mechanisms, particularly the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Accompanied by a distinguished panel including Rana Siu Inboden, Senior Fellow at the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law; Benedict Rogers, Co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch; Emile Dirks, Research Associate at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto; and Sophie Luo, wife of detained Chinese human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, Abbas recounted disturbing incidents witnessed in Geneva, including pro-CCP efforts to restrict access for authentic human rights defenders, surveil activists, and manipulate the narrative within the UN. A record-breaking 163 countries requested to speak during the hearing, with over 120 countries either ignoring China’s dark record or applauding its alleged progress. Furthermore, side events hosted by Chinese NGOs and Government organizations propagated orchestrated propaganda, attempting to cast doubt on established evidence, conclusive research, survivor testimonies, and leaked documents.
Post-testimony, Rushan Abbas emphasized the significance of the official rebuke by stating “This hearing was a much needed condemnation of China’s use of the United Nations as a means of whitewashing their genocide and crimes against humanity. The happenings at the UPR show the obvious gap in the international frameworks meant to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable. I am proud of the active efforts the United States Government has taken to fill this gap.”
Rushan concluded by calling on the international community to unite against China’s manipulation of the UN, emphasizing the need to preserve the UN as a beacon of peace free from exploitation. Ahead of the hearing, Campaign for Uyghurs filed a Stakeholder Submission with the UN, extensively referenced in the UN Summary of Stakeholder Submissions, providing crucial insights into China’s atrocities. It is CFU’s recommendation that the US Mission in Geneva must be given further resources and capabilities to have a forward leaning approach on China’s creeping influence within the UN systems.
See the full testimony here.
