On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture’, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) raised alarm over the severe human rights abuses faced by millions of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang province, also known as East Turkistan.
In a statement released on social media platform X, the WUC shared disturbing accounts from Uyghur survivors who were arbitrarily detained in concentration camps. The testimonies of survivors reveal they were subjected to various torture methods, including restraint chairs, weighted restraints, and hoods or blindfolds.
“Despite early legal prohibitions, ratification of the UN Convention against Torture in 1988, and official campaigns in the 1990s, China has not concretely implemented measures to curb torture,” the statement posted on X read.
The organisation also emphasised the ongoing issue of police influence on the judiciary, which compromises these legal protections.
“Measures like the exclusionary rule (banning evidence from torture) & videotaped interrogations exist but are often undermined by the police’s power over the judiciary. Fundamental rights like access to independent lawyers, doctors, and family communication are frequently denied,” the World Uyghur Congress said in a statement.
The Congress has highlighted that detention facilities employ devices like restraint chairs, weighted restraints, and hoods or blindfolds to torture Uyghurs and other Turkic individuals. These items have been classified as inherently cruel, inhuman, or degrading by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
The World Uyghur Congress’s declaration emphasizes the persistent global worries regarding human rights violations in Xinjiang, calling for international focus and collective efforts to alleviate the suffering of Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic groups subjected to oppression in the area.
