The FF Plus considers itself a staunch advocate for minorities in South Africa, so, it has great empathy for the Uyghurs, who are severely oppressed in their country and are fighting to inform the world of their fate.
The party can identify with the dire situation of the group given the pressure on white people and Afrikaans speakers in South Africa due to race-based legislation regulating, among other things, access to work and threatening the Afrikaans language and educational institutions, as is currently the case with the BELA law.
Like the Uyghurs, the FF Plus has for decades used all international platforms at its disposal, such as UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation), to inform the world of the situation in South Africa.
And it was at UNPO that the party crossed paths with representatives of the Uyghurs.
The group is currently busy with an international awareness tour and will soon visit Africa and South Africa. The group will be in South Africa from 11 to 17 November and the FF Plus is quite willing to help facilitate media discussions with the group.
A letter to the FF Plus from the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) states, among other things, that the tour to Africa and South Africa aims to create awareness of the ongoing human rights crisis in East Turkistan (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region).
According to the letter, the focus will be on the various aspects of the Uyghur genocide which include large-scale arbitrary detention, family separation, forced sterilization, forced labour, organ harvesting, systematic elimination of religious freedom and other atrocities against the Uyghur people. (The complete letter is attached herewith.)
Mr Dolkun Isa, a representative of the Uyghurs, is available to speak to the media. Contact Pieter Swart on 065-801-7216 to arrange a meeting.
More about the Uyghurs:
(Berig van die BBC op 24 Mei 2022 – Who are the Uyghurs and why is China being accused of genocide? – Afrikaanse vertaling). (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-22278037)
“China has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in the north-western region of Xinjiang.
Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls ‘re-education camps’, and sentenced hundreds of thousands to prison terms.
A series of police files obtained by the BBC in 2022 has revealed details of China’s use of these camps and described the routine use of armed officers and the existence of a shoot-to-kill policy for those trying to escape.
The US is among several countries to have previously accused China of committing genocide in Xinjiang. The leading human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have published reports accusing China of crimes against humanity.
China denies all allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.” The Chinese government claims that its “anti-terrorism measures” are meant to bring about “peace and prosperity” in the area.
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