Dear friends and colleagues,
During this Thanksgiving week, Campaign For Uyghurs (CFU) reflects upon how grateful we are for the ability to use our platform every day to drive the movement for Uyghur justice. We are honored to fight for a future with freedom and democracy without genocide and slavery. It would not be possible without the support of our partners, advocates and donors.
Over the last year, CFU has successfully worked to promote and advocate for the human rights and democratic freedoms of Uyghurs and other Turkic people in East Turkistan. In 2022 alone, CFU built lasting relationships with multi-faith organizations, civil societies, and student groups, taking part in over 100 events in about 20 countries. Our advocacy base continues to multiply and spread in all corners of the world.
We are honored to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Recognition of the tireless and effective Uyghur Advocacy work we have successfully carried out and continue to carry out on a daily basis.
CFU’s empowerment & activism training workshops have been successful in providing women and youth within the Uyghur diaspora and students around the world with the skills to develop strong grassroots movements. We’d like to share only a few campaigns and their impact:
- CFU engaged in multiple initiatives and an extensive public awareness campaign to ensure the passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and the successful implementation of the legislature.
- CFU founded and contributed to multiple global campaigns contributing to the international diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Olympics.
- From a CFU workshop in Berlin, a young Uyghur woman in Germany created the “What If It Happened to You?” campaign, which highlighted the Uyghur genocide in public squares across cities in Germany. Another workshop in Istanbul developed advocacy leaders to address the Turkish political parties to bring the plight of Uyghur refugees to the political forefront.
- Our advocacy efforts in Europe and the UK paid off when the European Parliament passed a motion condemning the CCP for its crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people. Both the EU and the UK have proposals to ban importing Uyghur forced labor goods. This was made possible thanks to the tireless work and research of Dr. Adrian Zenz and the many advocacy groups working passionately on this issue.
- Lastly, CFU led online campaigns to condemn the High Commissioner of Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, demanding the release of the Uyghur report and calling for her immediate resignation.
CFU is working to expand and strengthen the Uyghur community’s capacity to advocate for our own people. We hope we can continue to depend on your support as we take this next step.
This year we’re participating in #GivingTuesday — a day set aside to balance the commercialism of the holiday season with the spirit of pure giving.
Can you help? Even small donations matter a great deal in this campaign.
This is only the beginning, and we hope we can continue to count on you to support a world where Uyghurs have freedom of conscience. Join us in the fight to defend the democracy and freedom of the world!
Thank you again for all of your support. We wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!
With gratitude,
Rushan Abbas
Executive Director
Campaign for Uyghurs
