Here's a summary of Uyghur-related news around the world from this week.
Groups seek resignation of UN human rights chief over China trip
Two hundred thirty rights groups called on Michelle Bachelet to resign, criticizing what they called her whitewashing of Beijing rights abuses against Uyghurs, Tibetans and other ethnic minorities.
China tech giant accused of being complicit in Xinjiang abuses
Cameras from China surveillance company Hikvision were used to track and detain Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities, according to surveillance technology trade publication IPVM.
Israel joins UN statement against Beijing’s mistreatment of Uyghurs
Israel joined 47 countries in signing a declaration at the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday, condemning Beijing’s repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
UN rights chief spoke to no detained Uyghurs, relatives on China visit
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday that she “was not able to speak to any Uyghurs currently detained or their families” during her visit to China.
56 Uyghurs currently detained by Thai authorities
Thailand’s civil society organizations are demanding that Bangkok refrain from returning Uyghur refugees detained in the country to China and send them to safe countries instead.
Bachelet’s decision to step down seen as ‘victory’ by rights activists
Rights activists who called on U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet to resign for not sufficiently condemning China’s mistreatment of Uyghurs on a recent trip declared a “huge victory” after she said she wouldn't seek a second term in August.
Volkswagen urged to examine rights abuses at plant in Xinjiang
Volkswagen’s supervisory board urged the company to “closely examine” human rights abuses in Xinjiang, where VW has operated a plant since 2013. In 2019, VW chief executive Herbert Diess said that he was “not aware” of mass detention of Uyghurs in the region.
News in brief
Two Uyghur Americans found out about their relatives' and friends’ detention in China from a recently leaked Chinese government documents called “Xinjiang Police Files.”
Quote of note
"Anger, frustration, despair and anguish all bubbled up within me as I looked upon the mugshot of my cousin. I could tell she was handcuffed," said Anwar, a Uyghur American who asked that only his first name be used for fear of political retaliation. "We had grown up together, and to me, she was my little sister. She was just a typical Uyghur mother, caring for her children and trying to provide them with the best."
