European Parliament members urge ICC to launch probe into China's Uyghurs genocide

In a major development, the East Turkistan Government in Exile revealed that nearly 38 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have co-signed a letter asking Karim Khan KC, the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), to launch an investigation into offenses perpetrated by Chinese officials against Uyghur and Turkic citizens. According to an ANI report, the MEPs submitted the letter after the release of the latest report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which said that these atrocities "may constitute crimes against humanity".  

The people from Uyghur community, the ethnic Turkic group from the autonomous region of Xinjiang, are targeted and deported from nations like Tajikistan to China, where they are subjected to abuses including forced labour, torture, and forced sterilisation. According to the East Turkistan Government in Exile, a parliamentary-based exile government, the ICC has the authority to look into these offenses because they originated in ICC territory, such as Tajikistan, and continued into China. 

In the letter, the MEPs wrote, “It is becoming increasingly difficult and irresponsible for those of us in elected positions to ignore this evidence… We hope that you will open this investigation urgently to pursue justice for the countless victims and deter further atrocities being committed against Uyghurs.” 

Prime Minister Salih Hudayar of the East Turkistan Government in Exile also noted, “We welcome the EU Members of Parliament letter urging the International Criminal Court to swiftly launch an investigation into China’s ongoing genocide of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in Occupied East Turkistan,” ANI reported. 

UN High Commissioner's report received a mixed response

Furthermore, a mixed response was received by the UN High Commissioner's report. Following the report's release, the Chinese government declared that it was "based on defamation and lies" and that they would no longer work with the UN on it. Nevertheless, many MEPs felt the report was not powerful enough, ANI reported. 

In addition to this, the MEPs' letter contains details with reference to the initial Article 15 Complaint submitted by representatives of the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement, the East Turkistan Government in Exile, and all Uyghur victims in July 2020. Subsequently, three additional submissions of compelling proof of Chinese crimes against the Uyghur people have been made to the ICC Office of the Prosecutor (OTP). 

The letter further draws attention to the evidence, which contains firsthand accounts of Uyghurs being singled out for detention in ICC members like Tajikistan before being forcibly returned to East Turkestan (also known as Xinjiang). 

Moreover, the letter makes clear that Chinese authorities had physically or psychologically forced at least 90% of Uyghurs residing in Tajikistan to return to China. Once they are in China, they vanish without a trace and endure horrifying cruelties and mistreatment, as several reports have demonstrated, ANI reported. This includes harsh questioning and torture, involuntary labour, and coerced medical treatment. According to the MEPs, the Uyghur people are therefore seriously at risk of being wiped out. 

(Image: AP)