What changed

B100114/2024

P10_TA(2024)0019

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on theThe cases of unjustly imprisoned Uyghurs in China, notably Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas

(2024/2857(RSP))

PE764.119

European Parliament resolution of 10 October 2024 on the cases of unjustly imprisoned Uyghurs in China, notably Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas (2024/2857(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previousArticles resolutions4 and reports36 onof the situationConstitution inof China,the People’s Republic of China (PRC),

– having regard to ArticleRules 4150(5) and 36 of the Constitution136(4) of the People’sits RepublicRules of China,Procedure,

– having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas in 2014 Ilham Tohti was convicted of politically motivated charges of ‘separatism’ and sentenced to life imprisonment; whereas he worked to foster dialogue between Uyghurs and Han Chinese; whereas he was awarded the 2019 Sakharov Prize;

Whereas massive and structural violations of human rights against Uyghur persist, notably in Xinjiang ;

B. whereas Gulshan Abbas is serving a 20-year sentence on fallacious terrorism-related charges relating to activities of her sister, a defender of the human rights of persecuted Uyghurs in the PRC;

Whereas in May 2022 for the first time in 17 years, a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has been able to travel six days in China ; whereas OHCHR issued shortly after an assessment of human rights concerns in China’s Xinjiang following allegations of serious violations against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim communities, in a context of the Chinese Government’s policies and measures to combat terrorism and extremism;

C. whereas this reflects the PRC authorities’ systemic repression of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR); whereas Uyghurs are arbitrarily detained in internment camps and forced to renounce their ethnic identity and religious beliefs;

Whereas in 2022 the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) called on China to immediately investigate all allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang;

D. whereas the defence of human rights, democracy and the rule of law should be at the centre of EU-PRC relations;

Whereas on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, eight OHCHR Special Rapporteurs have warned against acts of harassment, intimidation, violence and incitement based on religion or belief that have risen to “alarming levels” across the world, including by State actors, in particular against Muslims;

1. Strongly condemns the PRC’s violations of the human rights of Uyghurs and people in Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China;

Reiterates its call for the release Ilham Tohti, Gulshan Abbas and other Uighurs unjustly imprisoned;

2. Urges the PRC to immediately and unconditionally release Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas, as well as those arbitrarily detained in China and those mentioned by the EU during the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council, guarantee their access to medical care and lawyers, provide information on their whereabouts and ensure family visiting rights; calls for the EU and the Member States to apply pressure in this respect at every high-level contact;

Reiterates its call for unrestricted access to their family and the lawyers of their choice;

3. Calls for the EU and the Member States to adopt additional sanctions against high-ranking officials and entities involved in human rights violations in the PRC;

Calls on4. theDemands Chinesethat andthe localPRC authorities to put an end tohalt thetheir repression of Uyghurs and recalls thattargeting theof Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region havewith beenabusive subjectedpolicies, toincluding intense surveillance, forced labour, involuntary sterilisations andsterilisation, birth prevention measures,measures amongand otherthe rightsdestruction abuses,of whichUyghur mayidentity, which amount to crimes against humanity,humanity asand acknowledgeda inserious risk of genocide; calls for the 2022closure OHCHRof report;all internment camps;

Recalls that China has ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;

5. Strongly condemns the PRC for not implementing the recommendations of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); calls on the PRC to allow the OHCHR independent access to XUAR and invites the OHCHR to issue a comprehensive situational update and an action plan for holding the PRC accountable;

Calls on UN Human Rights office to promptly issue a comprehensive update on the current situation in Xinjiang;

6. Regrets the PRC’s lack of commitment to the Human Rights Dialogue and the absence of results;

Supports a resolution at the Human Rights Council to set up an independent international mechanism to monitor and investigate allegations of severe human rights violations, including potential crimes against humanity in Xinjiang ;

7. Calls on Member States and the international community to suspend extradition treaties with the PRC and Hong Kong, respect the non-refoulement principle and implement the OHCHR report;

Praises the work of Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calling again on the authorities to undertake a full review of the legal framework governing national security and counter-terrorism;

8. Urges Member States to address the transnational repression of Chinese dissidents and Uyghurs on their territory and prosecute individuals responsible;

Notes a worrying increase, around the world, including China, of the use of the fight against terrorism to repress populations or political opponents;

9. Welcomes the EU’s forced labour regulation and insists on its full implementation; calls on businesses operating in the PRC, particularly in XUAR, to comply with their HR due diligence obligations;

Calls for an impact assessment on the new regulation on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market in view to remedy loopholes, notably on alternative trades to prevent supply chain disruption;

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the PRC authorities, the VP/HR, the Commission, the Member States and the United Nations.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and to the Government and Parliament of the People’s Republic of China.