Washington DC [US], February 1 (ANI): The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has expressed concern over the recent meeting between the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, and Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng in Beijing, saying that the bilateral engagement failed to address human rights, religious freedom or the situation of Uyghur Muslims, according to a WUC press release.

The meeting, held on January 26, focused on enhancing dialogue and cooperation between the OIC and China. However, the WUC said there was no public reference to the ongoing human rights situation in East Turkistan, where it alleges China continues policies amounting to genocide against Uyghurs. The organisation urged Secretary-General Taha and the OIC to use such engagements to publicly raise the issue of Uyghur rights and hold China accountable for what it described as 'egregious crimes,' as cited by the WUC press release.

The WUC said news of closer cooperation between the OIC and China has caused deep apprehension among Uyghurs and the wider Muslim community. It stated that there have been no significant policy changes in East Turkistan, despite continued international concern. The organisation pointed to a January 22 statement by UN experts working with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who warned that the widespread use of forced labour in China may amount to forcible transfer or enslavement as crimes against humanity. According to the WUC, more than one million Uyghurs and around 650,000 Tibetans have been affected by forced labour policies, while millions of Uyghurs remain forcibly interned.

WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun said the OIC has repeatedly failed to raise the Uyghur issue in its engagements with China and in multilateral forums. 'Member states within the organisation must push for greater accountability and demand to break the silence on Uyghur Muslims,' he said, as quoted in the WUC press release.

The organisation also highlighted continued restrictions on religious freedom faced by Uyghur Muslims. Citing data from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the WUC said nearly two-thirds of mosques in East Turkistan have been damaged or destroyed since 2017, with about half demolished entirely. It further cited documentation by the Uyghur Human Rights Project, which recorded the enforced disappearance, detention or imprisonment of at least 1,046 Turkic religious figures since 2014. According to the WUC, Uyghurs have received lengthy prison sentences for basic expressions of religious belief, including praying, receiving religious education.

The WUC said millions of Uyghurs remain detained in camps or prisons, Uyghur women have been subjected to forced sterilisation, labour transfer programmes have expanded, and the Uyghur language has been banned in many schools. It also alleged that mosques, shrines, graveyards and homes have been destroyed, children separated from families, and that Chinese authorities are attempting to erase Uyghur identity through forced assimilation. The organisation further claimed that China has sought to intimidate and threaten Uyghurs abroad, particularly human rights activists, as noted in the press release.

Calling the situation a matter requiring urgent international action, the WUC urged the OIC and its Secretary-General to take a stronger and more coordinated stance. It called on the OIC to substantively raise the issue of the Uyghur genocide and other serious human rights violations in all future engagements with China, including raising individual cases. The organisation also appealed to the OIC to explicitly address restrictions on religious freedom and oppose policies limiting Islamic worship and practice, in line with the OIC Charter, according to the WUC press release. (ANI)