Prague's Marriott Hotel declined to host Uyghur conference; cites 'political neutrality'

The Marriott hotel in Prague refused to host a conference of activists and leaders from China’s Uyghur diaspora this month, reported Axios citing an email that showed that the reason for declining the World Uyghur Congress was “political neutrality.” While China’s Communist government has condemned the World Uyghur Congress, Marriott’s decision to reject hosting the conference reflects Beijing’s increasing ability to extend its authoritarian control across the world.

The World Uyghur Congress comprises mainly of Uyghurs living in exile along with the activists advocating the rights of those who remain in China’s remote area of Xinjiang which is said to detain millions of members of the ethnic minority in detention camps. From 12 to 14 November, around 200 delegates from 25 nations had gathered in Prague to elect the organisation's new leadership and also to hold discussions with politicians and other representatives from the world. But, as per the report, Prague Marriott Hotel declined to host the conference.

Marriott’s senior vice president for global corporate, Melissa Froehlich Flood told Axios that the hotel would be “contacting the group to apologize, as the hotel's response was not consistent with our policies.” Zumretay Arkin, the Munich-based program and advocacy manager for the World Uyghur Congress, told the media outlet that the group reached out to several hotels for quotes. Arkin said, “At first, the person didn't mention the background information on the conference and the organization that was organizing it.”

But shortly after that, an email was received from an events manager at the hotel that read, “Thank you very much for your visit today. Unfortunately, I have to inform you that we are not able to offer the premises...We consulted the whole matter with our corporate management. For reasons of political neutrality, we cannot offer events of this type with a political theme. Thank you once again for your time and understanding,” reported Axios.

Marriott’s clarification

The Marriott spokesperson later clarified to the media outlet that hosting World Uyghur Congress would not have violated any “political neutrality” policy. The official said the reference to “corporate management” in the email related to “hotel-level management.” She was further quoted as saying, “We are working with the hotel team to provide additional training and education on our longstanding practices of inclusion.”

(IMAGE: AP)