Ozgur Uyghur — November 25, 2025
Key Points
- Fifteen countries jointly condemned China’s widespread human rights violations against Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, and other minority groups, urging the immediate release of all detainees.
- The statement, citing “credible reports,” highlights forced labor, torture, arbitrary detention, family separation, and destruction of cultural heritage.
- Despite signs that international pressure on China has weakened in recent years, this joint action demonstrates that the Uyghur issue remains on the global agenda.
The Statement
The joint statement reads:
“According to credible reports, China continues to engage in arbitrary detention, forced labor, unlawful or arbitrary surveillance, and restrictions on religious and cultural activities. Ethnic and religious minority groups—including Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, Christians, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, and others—have been subjected to targeted persecution through the separation of children from their families and placement in schools and residential facilities, torture, and destruction of cultural heritage.
“We also express concern about the ongoing erosion of civil liberties and rule of law in Hong Kong, the issuance of arrest warrants for individuals outside Hong Kong for exercising freedom of speech, and the offering of rewards for their detention.
“China’s government surveillance and control systems restrict public discourse and punish those who challenge state propaganda. The persecution of journalists, human rights defenders, and lawyers, along with cross-border repression policies, further intensify an environment of intimidation aimed at silencing critical voices. These actions erode trust and violate the fundamental principles of global peace and human development.
“We call upon the People’s Republic of China to act lawfully, release all those detained in violation of fundamental rights and freedoms, and comply fully with its obligations under international law.”
List of Signatory Countries
Albania, Australia, England, Czechia, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Palau, Paraguay, San Marino, Ukraine, United States.
China’s Denial and International Rebuttal
During the UN human rights examination session, the Chinese government again categorically denied accusations of persecution and genocide.
According to Uyghur Times, human rights activists—including Zumuratai Erkin, Vice President of the World Uyghur Congress, and Zilaile Mamet, representative of the American Uyghur Association—delivered strong rebuttals to China’s claims.
China’s persecution of Uyghurs has been extensively documented through independent research, leaked government papers, and testimony from Uyghur survivors. These findings reveal a coordinated system of repression that includes mass arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples, forced sterilization and birth-prevention policies, severe restrictions on cultural and religious expression, tight controls on daily movement, and widespread destruction of Uyghur cultural heritage.
Because these actions meet the criteria for genocide outlined in the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, nearly ten countries—including the United States—have formally recognized China’s policies as genocide or crimes against humanity.
Additionally, a 2022 UN report on the Uyghur situation stated that China’s actions may “constitute crimes against humanity.”
Ozgur Uyghur is a new member of the Uyghur Post team. He studied political science and writes international politics analyses for Uyghur Post.
