URAP Newsletter february
News:
· The Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) decision to withdraw from the Public Inquiry on the Foreign Interference held by the Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue resonated strongly in Ottawa (see below media links). Our decision to withdrew was followed by the Hong-Kong Canada NGO. The Globe and Mail article from February 5th reported “Once again, the Liberal government and its appointees seem to have zero interest in revealing the extent of Chinese interference. Nor do they show interest in protecting those who put themselves at risk by speaking out against actions in this country taken by the Chinese government”.
· URAP team participated in the protest held in Montreal in front of the Chinese Consulate, to commemorate the 1997 Ghulja massacre perpetrated by the CCP.
· The first-ever seizure by CBSA (Canada Customs) on solar panels originating from the Uyghur region as reported by media “The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has taken a significant enforcement action by detaining containers filled with solar modules, showcasing Canada’s intensified commitment to combating forced labour within its supply chains” https://pvbuzz.com/canada-border-services-crackdown-on-solar-module-containers/
· The URAP decision to withdraw in late January from the Public Inquiry resonated loudly across the political establishment in Ottawa and within civil society. Many questioned the validity of reasoning of the Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue to grant special privileges to the three individuals allegedly tied to CCP as per Canadian security authorities (see below media coverage).
· On February 29 the URAP ED Mehmet Tohti met with the Hon. Melissa Lantsman, Deputy Conservative Party Leader and Hon. Michael Chong, Shadow Minister for International Affairs, topics raised among others included the expedition of the M62 Motion, Uyghur Forced Slave Labour tainted imports in the Canadian Supply Chain, the Foreign Interference Public Inquiry
· On February 29, the URAP team met with Alexander Craney from the office of the Minister of Labour of Canada and discussed the Uyghur Forced Slave Labour tainted merchandise imports entering Canada. The four points put forward to the attention of the Ministry were – any proposed Canadian legislation should be compatible with its US equivalent UFLPA (Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act), there should be a rebuttable presumption, meaning any cargo coming from the Uyghur Region should be considered as tainted by the Forced Slave Labour unless proven otherwise, the need to impose strict corporate accountability practices and the financial penalties on corporations profiting the Uyghur Forced Slave Labour.
· URAP team trained young Uyghur-Canadian volunteers to provide support services to the potential applicants under the M62 campaign initiative.
· URAP continued its cooperation with the numerous stakeholders to make the M62 project feasible and swift
· URAP continued its documentary filming project
· URAP continued working on strengthening the Alliance of Genocide Victim Communities
· URAP is actively engaged in implementing the M62 (10,000 vulnerable refugees’ resettlement into Canada)
· URAP is cooperating with various US-based NGOs on strengthening the Uyghur Forced Labor products importation ban to Canada under the CUSMA agreements (CAN-US-MEX free trade agreement).
· URAP is continuing its participation in the Coalition Against Forced Labour in Trade
Media compilation for February 2024:
February 01 - The Globe and Mail reporting “Co-ed by URAP Political Advisor Margaret Mccguire-Johnston Human rights abuses, such as the genocide of Uyghurs as recognized by Canada’s Parliament, are being executed with technologies based on research done at non-Chinese universities” https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canada-needs-to-be-one-step-ahead-of-china-on-research-security/
February 02 - The Voice of America reported on URAP’s decision to withdraw from the Public Inquiry on the Foreign Interference “As the first round of hearings wrapped up on Friday, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project announced that it was pulling out of the commission. The group says it withdrew because of its concern that two politicians with alleged sympathies to China have been given full status in the review body” https://www.voanews.com/a/uyghur-group-withdraws-from-canada-s-election-interference-commission-/7469344.html
February 02 - CTV News “In a statement Wednesday, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) said its members will not participate in the inquiry, blaming commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue for allowing "a significant security risk" to their community and families back in China” https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/has-the-foreign-interference-commission-lost-credibility-because-uyghur-canadians-refuse-to-testify-1.6752930
February 05 - AsiaPacific reporting “The Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP), a human rights group representing Uyghur Canadians, backed out of the inquiry on Wednesday. In a statement yesterday, URAP said it disagreed with the Commission’s decision to include three men — Michael Chan, Han Dong, and Yuen Pau Woo — in the process.” https://www.asiapacific.ca/asia-watch/foreign-interference-inquiry-begins-beijing-new-delhi-under
February 05 – National Post reporting “The Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) announced that they had suspended all participation in the inquiry due to fears that any information they shared with it could find its way to Beijing. The group represents the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in China’s northwest whose treatment Canada has officially characterized as a genocide” https://nationalpost.com/opinion/bc-knows-safer-supply-isnt-working-theyre-expanding-it-anyway
February 07 - Wetaskinwintimes (British Columbia media outlet) reporting “Canada’s Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP), representing Canadians of Muslim origin protesting China’s genocide of the Uyghurs, withdrew from the inquiry Wednesday, citing safety concerns” https://www.wetaskiwintimes.com/opinion/interference-inquiry-takes-credibility-hit
February 20 - The Bureau media reporting “In late January, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) pulled out of the inquiry, accusing Commissioner Hogue of enabling "a significant security risk" to the diaspora in Canada and their families in China” https://www.thebureau.news/p/ottawas-interference-inquiry-jolted
February 20 – The National Post “The CFHK is the second group to withdraw from the independent inquiry after the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) withdrew on Jan. 31. It also stated disappointment in the commissioner for giving full standing to Dong, Chan and Woo” https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/hong-kong-diaspora-group-pulls-out-of-foreign-interference-inquiry
February 19 - Radio Free Asia Uyghur News reporting "Canada’s promise to take in 10,000 Uyghurs refugees - about the number of ethnic Uyghurs now thought to live in the United States - is particularly seen as a potential solution" https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/refugees-02142024151839.html
January 17- The Globe and Mail via “But according to Mehmet Tohti, executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, not one shipment from China has been denied entry into Canada on the same grounds. “Canada remains a dumping ground for products made with forced labour,” Mr. Tohti said in an interview.” https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-why-canada-will-continue-to-be-a-dumping-ground-of-products-made-with/
February 21 - The Deep Dive via https://thedeepdive.ca/is-the-foreign-interference-inquiry-dead-on-arrival-second-diaspora-group-withdraws-citing-security-integrity-concerns/
February - The Canadian Friends of Hong Kong (CFHK) have announced a boycott of the Foreign Interference Commission Inquiry. This makes them the second group, after the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), to withdraw from the inquiry citing “grave concerns regarding the objectivity and the security integrity.”
February 23 - Globe and Mail reporting “That decision has led to representatives of diaspora communities to absent themselves from the proceedings. The Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project [URAP] pulled out in January, and the human-rights group Canadian Friends of Hong Kong, or CFHK, followed suit this week.” - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-justice-hogue-can-still-fix-the-growing-mess-at-the-election/
February 23 - National Post reporting “The CFHK’s move follows the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project’s (URAP) decision to stand down three weeks ago. The CFHK’s Li and URAP’s Mehmet Tohti say that as a matter of principle, the pro-democracy activists in Canada’s Chinese diaspora should not have to subject themselves to cross examination by Liberal party kingmaker Michael Chan or Independent MP Han Dong — who resigned from the Liberal caucus over alleged ties to the Chinese government — both of whom were granted full standing by Hogue” - https://nationalpost.com/opinion/terry-glavin-canada-is-losing-the-fight-against-foreign-interference
What can you do this week
URAP is non-profit organization advocating on behalf of Uyghur and other Turkic-speaking people of East Turkistan currently facing the ongoing Genocide. We need broad support of public just like you to continue our advocacy and awareness-raising efforts in Canada and globally. Consider to DONATE and support our activities such as ongoing M62 campaign among other initiatives.
Upcoming Events:
URAP will continue its advocacy and awareness-raising campaign on several legislative initiatives such as addressing the elimination of the Forced Slave Uyghur Labor-tainted merchandise in the Canadian Supply Chains. FIRA (or its equivalent), The “Clean University” Initiative, resettlement M62 initiative and more…
The Parliamentary session in Ottawa this spring promise to be fast-moving and challenging….