Evidence of meeting #123 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was state.
A video is available from Parliament.
1:45 p.m.
Liberal
Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London North Centre, ON
In July 2017, Italian police detained for a short time the president of the World Uighur Congress, Dolkun Isa, on his way to address the Italian Senate. What was the context of that? Do you have knowledge of why he was detained by the Italians?
1:45 p.m.
Lecturer, University of Washington, As an Individual
I don't know all the specifics of the charges, but it's the sort of thing that the Chinese state has used against numbers of Uighurs in the diaspora. Rebiya Kadeer, who is based in Washington, D.C., has also been described as a terrorist, as an extremist—all these sorts of things—by the Chinese state. Dolkun Isa, I think, faced a similar charge.
I have not seen any evidence to point to him as being in any way connected with violent resistance. He's a politician.
1:45 p.m.
Liberal
Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London North Centre, ON
I don't mean to interrupt, but the Italians must have had some reason to act.
1:45 p.m.
Lecturer, University of Washington, As an Individual
I think it had something to do with one of the leaders at Interpol being a Chinese national and his putting Dolkun Isa on the list. He was just detained very briefly and then was released, which seems to indicate that whatever charges they had could not be substantiated. He was released and is free to move about now.
1:45 p.m.
Ms. Anita Vandenbeld (Ottawa West—Nepean, Lib.)
Thank you.
We'll move for the final question to Ms. Hardcastle for five minutes.
1:45 p.m.
NDP
Cheryl Hardcastle NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Thank you.
What are our next best steps now to engage China?
1:45 p.m.
Lecturer, University of Washington, As an Individual
To engage them on this issue, I think sanctions are something that could be put in play. Also, I think it would be wise to divest from technological companies that are working in this system.
One of the things that China is trying to do through this process is to develop a new form of counterterrorism, counter-insurgency, cybersecurity equipment that can be exported elsewhere. I've talked to a number of people who are working in the tech industry in China, and they say they're developing something that could be exported along the new “one belt, one road” initiative—the new Silk Road—because 60% of the world's Muslim population is living on that new development initiative, and authoritarian states on that development initiative will want to buy these new tools that they're developing to control the populations of Muslim societies.
I think that countering that in Canada by not being willing to buy into those products and those processes would be a really important thing to do. I think granting asylum is also a very important thing, something that you could do in a very tangible way to help the Uighurs in the diaspora.
1:50 p.m.
NDP
Cheryl Hardcastle NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Do you see an opportunity for human rights with the upcoming universal periodic review? Is that something that has potential as well? Should we be leveraging this opportunity? Could you expand on whether you think that's the case?
1:50 p.m.
Lecturer, University of Washington, As an Individual
Yes, I definitely think that the UN could play a major role in reversing what's happening by exerting pressure on the Chinese state. Leveraging that would be a wonderful approach.
I don't know enough about the specifics of what would be available to you to speak with a lot of confidence about what you should do—next steps and all of that—but I think working with allies who are willing to fight what China is doing and supporting Uighurs in their struggle would be really good next steps.
1:50 p.m.
Ms. Anita Vandenbeld (Ottawa West—Nepean, Lib.)
Thank you very much.
I'd like to thank you, Dr. Byler, for your expert testimony today, and I'd like to remind the committee that despite the change in the calendar for Thursday, we are going to be sitting on Thursday. It will be an in camera meeting, which means that we won't be able to have our guests from the public at that meeting, but we'll be sitting at our usual time on Thursday.
In addition, I want to thank Naaman Sugrue, who has been our clerk for the last while. He's going to be moving on to other things.
I want to welcome Erica Pereira, who is going to be taking over as the clerk, at least temporarily. She is currently the clerk of the foreign affairs committee, so members of that committee would probably be familiar with her. Welcome, Erica, as our clerk.
With that, I adjourn the meeting.