To draw attention to the reported ongoing genocide targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan - an area referred to by China as the 'Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region' - Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC, Director of the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) chaired a panel discussion on 8 January 2025 at the United Kingdom Parliament's House of Lords titled, 'The Forgotten Genocide: China's continuing suppression of the Uyghurs'.
Panellists highlighted a significant body of evidence of a continuing genocide being perpetrated by China, condemned the use of forced labour and explored how the UK can legislate at the domestic level to end this practice and promote human rights.
Speaking at the event was Sayragul Sauytbay, Vice President of the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE), who detailed being tortured and witnessing horrific crimes, including gang rapes committed against female prisoners at what she termed one of China's 'concentration camps' - the Chinese Government (after denying their existence) refer to them as 're-education centres' or 'training camps.' After being forced to teach Mandarin and Chinese cultural and political conformity to Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in the camp, Ms Sauytbay fled China for Kazakhstan.
Furthermore, it has been extensively documented that women at such camps are subjected to pregnancy checks, forced implantation of intrauterine devices, forced sterilisation and forced abortions, all of which significantly reduce the Uyghur population's birth rate.
Ms Sauytbay went on to state that the Chinese authorities carry out 'counterterrorism policies' in East Turkistan that include mass surveillance, movement restrictions, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances all in the name of combatting 'terrorism' and 'extremist separatists'.
Baroness Kennedy recalled that the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention) was the first human rights treaty to be adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and symbolised the international community's commitment to a 'never again' stance on genocide following the atrocities of the Second World War. Yet similar crimes are being committed.
Baroness Kennedy stated: 'While we were told of atrocities against the Uyghurs and other groups taking place a few years ago and various legal avenues were explored to address the issue, it now seems to have dropped off the international agenda. That reports of crimes committed by the Chinese authorities continue to be stated and none of the perpetrators are being held accountable is alarming. Throughout my career as a human rights lawyer, I have engaged with victims of mass atrocities, particularly detained women and I have heard their harrowing accounts of being placed in detention camps, where they are forced to abandon their faith and are subjected to torture and sexual violence. Their testimonies mirror the account of Sayragul Sauytbay, who detailed the atrocities she witnessed while being forced to work in such a place. The UK government must do more than simply recognise the issue: it must act.'
The additional panellists at the event, which was co-organised by a number of interested parties, were (in alphabetical order): Rodney Dixon KC, Legal Counsel for East Turkistan's complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC); Salih Hudayar, Foreign Minister of the ETGE and leader of the East Turkistan National Movement ; Sir Iain Duncan Smith, UK Member of Parliament for Chingford and Woodford Green; and Lara Strangways, Head of Business and Human Rights at Global Rights Compliance .
On the issue of modern slavery, evident across industries including agriculture, energy and textiles at all levels of the economy, Sir Iain and Ms Strangways each stated that the UK government should impose import bans to ensure that goods manufactured or transported from China using forced labour cannot be sold in the UK market. Sir Iain said, 'We have to stand up, whatever the product is […] companies should be directed not to deal with Chinese counterparts involved in forced labour', while Ms Strangways commented that forced labour 'is not an economic policy, but the cornerstone of the campaign to suppress the Uyghurs.'
Mr Dixon, who represents the ETGE and Uyghur victims in proceedings before the ICC, highlighted the key role the UK government can play in supporting human rights. On the legal avenues that could be pursued for justice and accountability for alleged crimes committed against Uyghurs by Chinese officials, he spoke of the possibility of universal jurisdiction or for the UK government to support the submission made, on behalf of the ETGE, to the ICC - an Article 15 Communication requesting the opening of an investigation. It included key evidence concerning the mass deportation of Uyghurs living in Tajikistan (an ICC State Party) by Chinese authorities into China.
Mr Dixon explained that the purported crimes were committed on the territory of an ICC State Party and continued into China, which provides the ICC with jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute. He said, 'to get the ICC's attention, while its plate is full, it needs support from states like the UK.'
The event concluded with Ms Sauytbay and Ms Hudayar, as representatives of the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in Turkistan, stating that the underlying goal of the Chinese authorities is to erase the Uyghur and Turkic population. They called on the UK and the wider international community to address the root causes of what is taking place by acknowledging that it is rooted in the Chinese occupation and colonisation of East Turkistan. They said, 'supporting East Turkistan's right to self-determination is essential for ending the genocide and fostering lasting justice and peace.'
Gratitude was expressed by Ms Sauytbay and Ms Hudayar for the opportunity to share their testimonies with fellow speakers and the audience. However, they stressed that acknowledging human rights violations is no longer sufficient. They said, 'we hope that the UK government will support our complaint before the ICC'.
