CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5th, 2026, 1:00 PM EST
Contact: contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
https://campaignforuyghurs.org/
CFU Hosts Oslo Freedom Forum Roundtable on China’s Modern Slavery
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the 2026 Oslo Freedom Forum, Campaign for Uyghurs brought together scholars, media representatives, and advocates to discuss the most recent developments related to the ongoing Uyghur genocide.
The event titled “Exposing China’s Crimes: Modern Slavery & Ethnic Unity” supported by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, examined the evolving nature of state-imposed forced labor, its connections to authoritarian governance and the Chinese Communist Party’s oppressive “Ethnic Unity Law”, and how these policies fuel Beijing’s global economic and political agenda. Experts also provided examples of legal frameworks that can be used to disrupt this vicious cycle.
Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs, Rushan Abbas articulated the new subterfuges China uses to hide its forced labor policies by applying coercion rather than overt incarceration, which leaves the brutality of the CCP’s ongoing genocide harder to monitor, while still advancing its longterm goal of erasing Uythur civilization. Abbas also described the interplay between forced labor and the so-called “Ethnic Unity Law” which aids this agenda by forcing the adoption of “correct” views on history, banning religious practice, and mandating that children receive education in Mandarin. Dr. Lobsang Sangay echoed these comments, documenting how these same policies are implemented in Tibet, while also sounding a positive note that the CCP’s quest to flatten diversity may also prove its achilles heel by undermining its legitimacy in the international arena.
Anthropologist Dr. Rune Steenberg further painted a picture of how Uyghurs are being systematically dispossessed of their lands, leaving them devoid of resources in a process akin to colonialism. He also reinforced how the economic advantage forced labor provides Chinese businesses builds economic capital the Chinese government deploys to influence global markets and apply political pressure to other governments.
Campaign for Uyghurs’ Communication Assistant Mehliya Cetinkaya used the recent Labubu doll scandal to provide a concrete example of how forced labor taints international products, as well as illustrate the need–and opportunity–to leverage this type of revelation into a call to arms by consumers to fight back against modern slavery. Adiljan Abdurehim, Coordinator for the Uyghur Transitional Justice Database, picked up on the theme of enforcement, describing several international laws that are in place to keep tainted products out of specific countries. He emphasized that regulations modeled after the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Act, which assumes products from Xinjiang are made with slave labor, are far superior to those that only require companies to self-disclose. He stated that since the issue is global, nations have an ethical duty to work together to stop modern slavery in its tracks.
Throughout the roundtable, participants, including students, activists, journalists, and concerned citizens offered their insights and helped elevate the discussion with inspiring questions, creating a dynamic discussion that revealed the oppression the Uyghur people still suffer and raised a profound call to action
“The Chinese Communist Party has not stopped its genocide of the Uyghur people. Nor has it relented in its oppression of Tibetan and other ethnic groups. Its evolved forced labor practices coupled with the so-called “Ethnic Unity Law” are merely different delivery mechanisms.” said CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas. “I am grateful to all the roundtable’s speakers and participants for adding their voices to the urgent call to end the Chinese government’s malignant practices. I also am thankful to the organizers of the Oslo Freedom Forum for giving us the opportunity to bring to light these latest dimensions of the CCP’s authoritarian rule.”
