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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (2020/2913(RSP))

On forced labour and the situation of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

B-9-2020-0435

on behalf of the Renew Group · Rapporteur: Engin Eroglu, Petras Auštrevičius, Malik Azmani, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Olivier Chastel, Klemen Grošelj, Bernard Guetta, Svenja Hahn, Karin Karlsbro, Moritz Körner, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Javier Nart, Frédérique Ries, María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Ramona Strugariu, Hilde Vautmans, MariePierre Vedrenne

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Parliament's resolution condemns the mass incarceration of Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang, and the use of forced labour, forced sterilizations and torture in government programmes. It calls on the Chinese authorities to end extrajudicial detention, forced labour and mass sterilization, release Ilham Tohti and other detainees, and allow independent investigations. It urges the Council to use the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Mechanism to target Chinese officials and organisations responsible for abuses, including the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. It asks the Commission to halt exports of surveillance technology, bring forward mandatory human rights due diligence legislation, and include enforceable labour and human rights clauses in trade talks with China. It calls on Member States to suspend extradition treaties with China, prevent deportations of Uyghurs, and seek UN and ICC investigations into international crimes.

Key points

  1. Strongly condemns the mass incarceration of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang, and the forced labour, forced sterilizations and torture in government-sponsored programmes.
  2. Calls on the Commission to urge the Chinese government to end extrajudicial detention of Uyghurs and ensure self-determination on labour and mobility.
  3. Calls on Chinese authorities to immediately cease mass incarceration and government-sponsored forced labour and mass sterilization programmes.
  4. Welcomes EU statements at the UN Human Rights Council but regrets that not all Member States supported a Germany-led statement at the UN General Assembly in October; calls for an independent UN inquiry on China.
  5. Calls on Chinese authorities to release Ilham Tohti and all other human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, journalists and petitioners detained for peaceful expression.
  6. Calls on Chinese authorities to provide unfettered access for independent international investigations into the treatment of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
  7. Urges Chinese authorities to respect freedom of religious belief, cease destruction of Uyghur cultural sites, and desist from invasive surveillance of Uyghurs and other minorities.
  8. Strongly urges the Council to use the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Mechanism to target Chinese officials guilty of abuses, including through travel bans and asset freezes.
  9. Calls on the Council and Member States to propose targeted sanctions against the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and six named individuals.
  10. Calls for the EU to halt exports and technology transfers used by China to extend cyber surveillance, and for the Commission to bring forward mandatory human rights due diligence legislation.
  11. Calls on the Commission to ensure a strong trade and sustainability chapter in negotiations with China, request China ratify ILO Convention No. 29 and its 2014 Protocol, and establish a contact channel with Chinese trade authorities.
  12. Calls on Member States to suspend extradition treaties with China, prevent deportations of Uyghurs, invoke China's responsibility for breaches of the Genocide Convention, and support an ICC investigation.

Who is affected

  • Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang, who face arbitrary detention, forced labour, forced sterilizations and surveillance.
  • Chinese officials and organisations responsible for human rights abuses, who may be targeted by EU sanctions including travel bans and asset freezes.
  • EU companies and third-country companies, which may face due diligence obligations to remove forced labour from supply chains.
  • EU Member States, called on to act unitedly, suspend extradition treaties, and support UN and ICC investigations.
  • Uyghurs living outside China, who face intimidation and harassment by Chinese government agents.

Figures and deadlines

  • Between one and two million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims estimated to be arbitrarily detained in political re-education centres.
  • More than 380 suspected detention facilities newly built or expanded since 2017, with at least 61 between July 2019 and July 2020.
  • Approximately 880,500 Uyghur children placed in boarding facilities by the end of 2019, an increase of nearly 383,000 since 2017.
  • 80,000 Uyghurs enrolled in labour transfer programs under the 'Xinjiang aid' policy between 2017 and 2019.
  • The Uyghur region produces more than 20 percent of the world's cotton.
  • In 2018, 80 percent of all new IUD placements in China were performed in the Uyghur region, which makes up 1.8 percent of China's population.
  • Complaint filed with the ICC Chief Prosecutor on 8 July 2020 on behalf of Uyghur and other Turkic victims.