Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you so much. This is my third testimony in the House, especially in this committee. In 2006 and 2014, I came to the House with our leader. First of all, on behalf of the Uighur Canadian community from coast to coast, I would like to thank each member for giving us this op

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As the United Nations concluded, the homeland of the Uighurs became a no-rights zone for Uighurs. Every 50 metres there are checkpoints—at the entrance to every mall, every bus stop. To get to the bus stop you have to go through an X-ray. Even within your home, inside or outside

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Religious persecution has been going on for a long time. When I was a teacher at Kashgar University in the 1980s, we were not allowed to fast. That was the common practice by the Chinese government. If you work for the government, or a government institute or public sector, you a

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  With regard to citizenship, China has never regarded Uighurs and Tibetans as its citizens. For that reason, all the time they have a different treatment for those ethnic groups, even though they are recognized as people with a distinct culture and they own their own territory. Th

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In the GTA, the greater Toronto area, I can assume approximately 1,500, including kids. In British Columbia, there are approximately a couple of hundred, and in Montreal, 50. All together, the entire Uighur ethnic group in Canada is approximately 2,000. Because the Chinese gover

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In April, Germany mistakenly deported one Uighur man. He has disappeared. United Arab Emirates deported some Uighurs who had already received UN-mandated refugee status. They disappeared. Egypt, just because of promised Chinese investment, deported 209 Uighurs last year in July.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Let me speak from the situation I know in Canada. Among our community members, there is no single member whose parents or relatives are not in a concentration camp. One gentleman in Montreal whose name is Erkin Haji Kuerban has 75 family members or extended family members in co

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  We know a number of those in the concentration camps from the first-hand witnesses who escaped from neighbouring Kazakhstan as a Kazakh national. One is Omurbek Eli. He described the situation more thoroughly. Because of the time limit, I did not get into that. Basically it is mo

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There are other countries that are speaking up loudly. For example, the United States already has pressured to apply the Magnitsky Act, and high-level U.S. officials are already talking about the Magnitsky Act. Not only that, but on September 13 I had a meeting in Ottawa with so

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Now it is a common conclusion that China is behind the Rohingya genocide; our House of Commons unanimously accepts that it's genocide. As we know, there is huge tension in the South China Sea. The Chinese government has already built some artificial islands to expand its territor

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As I have said, Canada should issue a public statement. This is not a human rights issue. This is beyond the scope of a human rights issue. Some scholars call it ethnic genocide. Some call it cultural genocide. Some call it collective punishment. Some call it a crime against huma

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I don't remember who said it, but I remember the phrase. “China is a sleeping tiger“—or a giant—“When we wake it up, it will be a disaster for the world.” Some famous person said that. China has already had the ambition of controlling the world for a long time. China considers

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Xi Jinping's policy is extreme, but other leaders' policies were also oppressive. I have to say that. There is opposition to China's leader Xi Jinping in China. The opposition is not about what he is doing or his goals. The opposition says, “Why are you making everything out of b

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There is no access for journalists so far. The last journalist I saw that set foot in the Uighur region was Emily Feng from the Financial Times. I have spoken with her a number of times. She is of Chinese ethnic origin and has a little bit more leverage to talk with the official

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, the ethnic Kazakhs, the Kurds, and the native people of East Turkestan. It is not only the Uighurs, they are part of this persecution as well. The Kazakhs and Kurds fled to neighbouring stan countries. Some of them managed to escape and saved their lives. Many of them stil