Human Rights Defenders Seek Clarification On Whether Special Immigration Measures Include Uighurs
April 12th, 2022
Justice For All Canada, a genocide prevention and human rights organization, urges Immigration Minister Sean Fraser to include Uighurs as urgent recipients of Canada’s special immigration measures announced last week.
In their motion, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration consulted with witnesses who called on the government to provide the same treatment to people faced with urgent humanitarian crises, as the people of Ukraine. In addition to deserving Afghans, Yemenis, Rohingya and Ukrainian refugees, it is not clear if the same special immigration measures are given to Uighur Muslims.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal cabinet abstained from recognizing the genocide in East Turkestan. This is an opportunity for the Canadian government to do more for the resettlement of Uighurs who fled China. If Canada’s commitment towards refugees and asylum seekers is real, then efforts should be made on behalf of this persecuted minority,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director.
As part of our Uighur-focused recommendations made to the Liberal government, Justice For All Canada has previously proposed designating Indigenous Uighurs as a priority group for refugee resettlement. Uighurs cannot escape Chinese state persecution due to extraordinary surveillance targeting them. For those who manage to escape, outside countries face immense pressure from China to return these Uighurs. For example, in 2015 Thailand returned 100 Uighurs to China, and Egypt returned about 12 in 2017.
Huseyin Celil, an Uighur Canadian, was forcibly returned to China, despite having refugee status. Sixteen years after his detainment by the Chinese government, his Ontario-based wife and children still don’t have any details on Celil’s whereabouts.
Due to China's transnational repression of this minority, it becomes incredibly challenging for Uighur Muslims to access refugee resettlement systems.
Over 1 million Uighurs have been detained in mass detention camps in recent years. According to the New York Times, Uighur refugees and displaced peoples have described severe human rights abuses inside internment camps, including mass surveillance, beatings, and forced sterilization.
Justice For All Canada calls on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, and the Minister of Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship, to:
Justice For All Canada, a genocide prevention and human rights organization, urges Immigration Minister Sean Fraser to include Uighurs as urgent recipients of Canada’s special immigration measures announced last week.
In their motion, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration consulted with witnesses who called on the government to provide the same treatment to people faced with urgent humanitarian crises, as the people of Ukraine. In addition to deserving Afghans, Yemenis, Rohingya and Ukrainian refugees, it is not clear if the same special immigration measures are given to Uighur Muslims.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal cabinet abstained from recognizing the genocide in East Turkestan. This is an opportunity for the Canadian government to do more for the resettlement of Uighurs who fled China. If Canada’s commitment towards refugees and asylum seekers is real, then efforts should be made on behalf of this persecuted minority,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director.
As part of our Uighur-focused recommendations made to the Liberal government, Justice For All Canada has previously proposed designating Indigenous Uighurs as a priority group for refugee resettlement. Uighurs cannot escape Chinese state persecution due to extraordinary surveillance targeting them. For those who manage to escape, outside countries face immense pressure from China to return these Uighurs. For example, in 2015 Thailand returned 100 Uighurs to China, and Egypt returned about 12 in 2017.
Huseyin Celil, an Uighur Canadian, was forcibly returned to China, despite having refugee status. Sixteen years after his detainment by the Chinese government, his Ontario-based wife and children still don’t have any details on Celil’s whereabouts.
Due to China's transnational repression of this minority, it becomes incredibly challenging for Uighur Muslims to access refugee resettlement systems.
Over 1 million Uighurs have been detained in mass detention camps in recent years. According to the New York Times, Uighur refugees and displaced peoples have described severe human rights abuses inside internment camps, including mass surveillance, beatings, and forced sterilization.
Justice For All Canada calls on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, and the Minister of Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship, to:
- Do more to protect Uighur Muslims who have escaped China’s borders
- Introduce a refugee resettlement program aimed at Uighurs who can’t find protection in the places they’ve landed
- Pressure foreign countries to end deportation efforts to Xinjiang
- Ensure the safety of those who do not wish to return