In June 2020 an independent people’s tribunal was created to investigate ‘ongoing atrocities and possible Genocide’ against the Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic Muslim Populations in the Uyghur region of China.

Two hearings took place in June and September 2021 and the final judgement, issued in December, found that birth prevention policies issued by the People’s Republic of China amounted to genocide. The verdict came as the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Lithuania all imposed diplomatic boycotts of the February Winter Olympics in China.

More recently, the US Senate passed the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, which came into effect at the start of 2022. The UK parliament will be conducting a debate on the findings of the Uygher Tribunal on 26 January.

Join us for a special discussion at The Conduit to explore the work of the Uygher Tribunal and more widely, the Human Rights abuses being perpetrated against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities across North-West China.

Speakers:

Paul Van Zyl is a Co-Founder of The Conduit and its Chief Creative Officer. The Conduit serves as a home for a diverse community of people passionate about social change. Having grown up in apartheid South Africa, Paul trained as a human rights lawyer and went on to serve as the Executive Secretary of South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He then co-founded the International Centre for Transitional Justice, an organisation that works in over 40 countries that have endured massive human rights violations under repression and in conflict. Paul is also a Co-Founder and CEO of Maiyet, an ethical luxury fashion brand that cultivates traditional design and culture by partnering with global artisans. He has received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and served on its Global Agenda Council on Fragile States, and is a London Tech Week Changemaker. He holds a law degree from University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, an LLM in international law from University of Leiden, an LLM from New York University, and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Santa Clara School of Law.

Zumretay Arkin is the Programme and Advocacy Manager at the World Uyghur Congress and President of the Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights (UCDHR), based in Berlin and recently elected as the Chair of the WUC Women’s Committee. She graduated from University Laval with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 2019 and graduated with a Bachelors in International Relations from the University of Montreal, in 2016. She primarily focuses on international advocacy at the United Nations. This includes engagement with different UN treaty bodies, special procedures, the office of the High Commissioner, diplomatic missions, and civil society organizations. She is also leading grassroots campaigns, such as the Olympics campaign and the forced labour campaign within the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region.

James Millward (via video-feed) James A. Millward is Professor of Inter-societal History at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, teaching Chinese, Central Asian and world history. He follows and comments on current issues regarding Xinjiang, the Uyghurs and other Xinjiang indigenous peoples, and PRC ethnicity policy. Millward has served on the boards of the Association for Asian Studies (China and Inner Asia Council) and the Central Eurasian Studies Society, and was president of the Central Eurasian Studies Society in 2010. His publications include  Eurasian Crossroads: a History of Xinjiang (2021; 2007), The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction (2013), New Qing Imperial History: The Making of Inner Asian Empire at Qing Chengde (2004), and Beyond the Pass: Economy, Ethnicity and Empire in Qing Central Asia (1998). Jim’s articles and op-eds on contemporary China appear in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, and other media.  He has appeared on the PBS Newshour, the Sinica Podcast, All Things Considered, Al Jazeera, i24 News and other broadcast programs and networks.

Nick Vetch is Vice Chair of the Tribunal and is a London based businessman. He is engaged with a range of NGOs particularly in the field of Human Rights and was a member of the China Tribunal. The Uyghur Tribunal is an independent people’s tribunal established to investigate ‘ongoing atrocities and possible genocide’ against the Uyghur people.Since launch the Tribunal has attracted significant press and other interest reflective of the gravity of the issue.

 Rahima Mahmut is an Uyghur artist and activist. She is the UK project director of the World Uyghur Congress and the chair of Stop Uyghur Genocide.

Photo: Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

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