The European Parliament adopted by 540 votes to 23, with 47 abstentions, a resolution on the cases of unjustly imprisoned Uyghurs in China, notably Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas.
The text adopted in plenary was tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP, S&D, ECR, Renew, Greens/EFA groups and Members.
In 2014, Ilham Tohti was convicted of politically motivated charges of ‘separatism’. He worked to foster dialogue between Uyghurs and Han Chinese and was awarded the 2019 Sakharov Prize.
Gulshan Abbas is serving a 20-year sentence on fallacious terrorism-related charges relating to activities of her sister, a defender of the human rights of persecuted Uyghurs in the People's Republic of China.
Parliament strongly condemned the PRC’s violations of the human rights of Uyghurs and people in Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. It urged China to immediately and unconditionally release Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas, as well as those arbitrarily detained in China and to guarantee their access to medical care and lawyers, provide information on their whereabouts and ensure family visiting rights. It called for the EU and the Member States to apply pressure in this respect at every high-level contact.
The Union and its Member States are urged to adopt additional sanctions against high-ranking officials and entities involved in human rights violations in China.
Parliament called on Chinese authorities to halt their repression and targeting of Uyghurs through abusive policies, including intense surveillance, forced labour, sterilisation, birth prevention measures, and the destruction of Uyghur identity, which amount to crimes against humanity and a serious risk of genocide. It called for the closure of all internment camps.
While regretting China's lack of commitment to dialogue on human rights and the absence of results, Parliament urged Member States to combat transnational repression of Chinese dissidents and Uyghurs on their territory and to prosecute those responsible.