URAP NEWSLETTER – AUGUST 2023
Press releases:
News:
· Two major announcements by CORE (Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible enterprise) were made on August 15 and 24 this summer, to address forced labour complaints against Canadian companies.
These two announcements came in addition to CORE’s earlier decision to launch a probe into multiple enterprises in response to URAP’s complaint filed in April 2022 on behalf of the coalition of 28 organizations, calling on CORE to investigate Canadian companies for their alleged ties with Uyghur forced labour in their supply chain. You can read the CORE’s decision here.
· On AUG 24 URAP’s Executive Director Mehmet Tohti, along with other NGO representatives met with the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Prof. Tomoya Obokata and briefed him on the Uyghur Forced Slave Labour imports entering Canadian markets
· The head of URAP Mehmet Tohti and community members met with the Federal Minister of Diversity, Inclusion MP Kamal Kheral and MP Sameer Zuberi during the fund-raising event in Montreal. Both MPs voted in favor of M62 (resettling 10 thousand Uyghur Refugees).
· From August 13-22, URAP Executive Director Mehmet Tohti kickstarted seven-days long tour in five cities in two provinces to have briefing session of URAP’s work with community members in Western Canada. The August month Western trip was delayed for 2 years originally due to tight schedule and charged agenda in Ottawa.
· During the visit, URAP Executive Director, has held community engagement and briefing session with the community members in the city of Calgary, Edmonton ( Alberta) Kamloops, Vancouver and Kelowna in BC..
· 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 stake-holders 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 thousand 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’s documentary filming on several subjects like M62, advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns in Canada is ongoing.
Media compilation (Some of URAP’s interviews, mentions made in August):
August 07 - RFA Uyghur reported on the plight of the three Uyghur refugee brothers detained for almost a decade in Indian-controlled Kashmir
August 07 - Mehmet Tohti, executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, said much of Canada’s promises on forced labour in Xinjiang has proven to be lip service. “Overall, our doors are being kept wide open for forced labour imports without any intervention,” Mr. Tohti said, adding he fears this country is also becoming a “dumping ground” for slave labour products that are blocked from entering the United States, where enforcement is much stronger.
August 11 – Turkish Media mentioned URAP and the ongoing detention in India of 3 Uyghur refugees
“Kanada Uygur İnsan Hakları Projesi'nin (URAP) kurucusu ve başkanı İnsan hakları Aktivisti Av. Mehmet Tohti’nin Hindistan’da 10 yıldır tutuklu bulunan 3 Uygur kardeşin durumunu yakından takip ettiklerini belirterek şöyle konuştu: "Kardeşlerin durumunu yakından takip ediyor ve kendilerine yardımcı olmaya çalışıyoruz. Hindistan’daki hukuki süreç hakkında bilgi ve belgeleri temin ettiğimizde Kanada yönetimine bunların sığınma başvurusunda bulunmalarına yardımcı olacağız. Bu kardeşlerin Keşmirli Avukatı Muhammet Şafi Lassu ile temas halindeyiz. Kanada, 2024 yılından başlayarak 10 bin Uygur mülteciyi Kanada’ya yerleştirmek için yasa çıkardı. Bu kardeşlerin de bu yasadan yararlanabileceklerini ümit ediyorum."
August 12 "Kanada, bu yıln şubat ayında Çin'e geri gönderilme riskiyle karşı karşıya olan diğer ülkelerden en az 10 bin Uygur'u Kanada’ya yerleştirmeye kararı aldıktan bu yana, yabancı bir ülkenin hapishanesinden bir Uygur'a ilk kez siyasi sığınma hakkı vermiş oldu".
Globe and Mail reporting “Canada has little to show for its promises to combat forced labour in China, critics say”
CORE Announcement and Media reporting on AUG 15, 2023
https://core-ombuds.canada.ca/core_ombuds-ocre_ombuds/press-release-communique-presse.aspx?lang=eng
French Media reported (Le Monde)
August 16 - "Ottawa-based @Uyghuradvocacy (URAP) welcomed the investigation in a statement. "There is credible evidence that Ralph Lauren is linked to numerous Chinese companies that use Uyghur forced labour in their supply chains,"
August 16 - l’organisme Projet de défense des droits des Ouïgours, basé à Ottawa, a salué le lancement de cette enquête formelle. « Il existe des preuves tangibles que l’entreprise de mode est liée à de nombreuses sociétés chinoises qui utilisent le travail forcé des Ouïgours dans leurs chaînes d’approvisionnement », a-t-il déclaré dans un communiqué.""
August 21 Globe and Mail reporting on its front page today "In October, 2017, the RCMP say Mr. Majcher mentioned in e-mails to colleagues that he was asked by China to gather information on Ms. Kadeer and the World Uyghur Congress, including schedules of meetings, events and financial status [in Canada]"
Free version - https://archive.is/yyxgD#selection-49969.0-49969.233
AUG 22 Meeting with the Coalition members on Uyghur Slave Labour (EU, US and Canada)
August 24 - "Canada’s corporate-ethics watchdog is investigating whether Walmart, Hugo Boss and Diesel have forced labour in their supply chains" -
August 24 -Walmart, Hugo Boss and Diesel named via @torontostar "Sheri Meyerhoffer of CORE issued three reports today saying none of the companies have done enough to demonstrate the products they sell in Canada are free of slave labour"
August 24 "A coalition of 28 civil society organizations last year filed complaints with the watchdog alleging Walmart, Hugo Boss and Diesel use Chinese suppliers with factories that have been linked to Uyghur forced labor" -
August 24 DW reported "Canada's corporate ethics watchdog will look into whether the companies used forced labor by China's Uyghur Muslims. Western governments have raised concerns about rights abuses faced by the minority community"
August 28 in Turkish https://turkistanpress.com/page/kanada-da-uc-sirket-daha-kole-isci-calistirmakla-suclandi/6003
August 30- URAP’s Project Manager Kayum Masimov joined @TheNewsForum for an interview entitled as "What Products Sold in Canada Can Be Connected to the Forced Labour of Uyghurs in China?"
August 31 Media “It pays lip service to due diligence,” Tohti said, adding that he believed that only one shipment of imported goods suspected of having been made by Uyghur forced labor in China had been seized in the five years since CORE’s founding — and that one shipment was released quickly"
More media quotations on URAP:
https://www.voanews.com/a/uyghur-news-recap-august-11-18-2023/7231404.html
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:
Canadian Parliament reconvenes back on September 18, 2023. 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 fall promise to be fast-moving and challenging….