“It would be utterly impossible for me to express the entirety of my discontent with the Chinese Government here today; simply put, a combination of words and phrases could never bring justice and peace to the millions upon millions of Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongols and other brethren, Han Chinese included, who have suffered indescribable pains under the repressive, iron fist of the Chinese Government. The well-documented, egregious human rights violations committed by the Chinese Regime are innumerable, and this alone should be enough to motivate the Chinese Government to improve their treatment of their citizens. Unfortunately, the Chinese Government chooses to ignore cries for truth, change, democratization, accountability, and justice, following an alternative path to governance characterized by dreadfully repressive policies, corruption, and brute force, all symptomatic of an authoritarian state. Another four years pass since the last UPR, and China’s human rights record lacks even one iota of improvement, a testament to the failing leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. Again, the current victims are my people, the Uyghurs, and our Tibetan, Mongol, and Han brothers and sisters, but if the Chinese regime doesn’t comprehensively improve its treatment of human beings, given its increasing economic and political influence on the world stage, you, the citizens of the western world, could be the victims next!”
Rebiya Kadeer, 2013
1) Write to Your Local Officials
By writing your local officials, whether that be your local, state or national representatives (i.e. Mayor, Congressman, Senator, President), you significantly contribute to raising awareness about the Uyghur plight. As a constituent, you have a political voice that you should voice, and there is no better way of expressing your dissatisfaction with the Chinese government’s human rights violations than voicing these issues to your representatives. With your help, we can urge the powers that be to pressure China to reform, address the grievances of the Uyghurs, and focus on human rights. The major current issues are:
· Extrajudicial killings of Uyghurs
· Torture of Uyghurs
· Use of brutal force to quell peaceful resistance
· Extrajudicial killings of Uyghurs
· Forced disappearances if Uyghurs, women and children included
· Unlawful detentions and roundups of Uyghurs
· Violations of Uyghurs’ religious beliefs, education and practices
· Violations of Uyghurs’ speech and expression
· Unlawful extradition of Uyghur asylum seekers
· Systematic discrimination against the Uyghurs
· Preferential hiring for Han Chinese in East Turkestan
· Restricted and censored Uyghur press, media and news
· Widespread closures of Uyghur language schools and other institutions
· Prohibition of Uyghur assembly and a civil society
· Policies that encourage forced assimilation
Please use the links provided below to find the contact information for your local and state representatives by zip code, your country's diplomatic representation in China and China's diplomatic representation in your country. Please feel free to use IUHRDF’s template below (make sure to personalize the template by filling in the appropriate name, address, and other such information in brackets):
[Address of Official]
[MM/DD/YEAR]
Dear [Official],
I am writing today to express my deepest concern for the Uyghur people. I have come to learn about the plight of the Uyghur people recently, and I feel obligated to express my utmost dissatisfaction with the way in which the Chinese Government is treating the Uyghur people. I have read numerous reports on the Chinese Government’s repressive policies towards the Uyghur people, including policies that prevent Uyghurs from practicing their religion, heavily prohibit assembly, silence civil society, destroy the Uyghur language and culture, promote forced assimilation and actively discriminate against the Uyghur people. Still further, I have recently come across many reports and media that suggests Beijing’s crackdown on the Uyghur people, characterized by the widespread harassment and detention of innocent Uyghurs, women and children included, a clampdown on peaceful dissent, and even the unlawful, extrajudicial killing of Uyghur people.
It is my belief that you, [official], stand for freedom as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the constitution of [Official’s Country]. Unfortunately, after decades of fighting for the Uyghur human rights cause, Mrs. Kadeer, the President of the World Uyghur Congress and the International Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Foundation, cannot achieve the basic human rights for the Uyghur people without the help of the international community, and freedom pioneers like you, [Official].
I am confident that without your help and support, the Uyghur people, their language, culture and way of life will perish under the brutal oppression placed on them by the authoritarian Chinese Government. [Official], I urge you to raise the Uyghur plight in the [Official’s Country] government, among your constituents, in the media, and through any other possible channel so that one day, the Uyghur people can enjoy protection of the very fundamental freedoms that are guaranteed to them as human beings.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the Uyghur issue. The Uyghurs, along with the Tibetans and other groups, live in constant fear. Each and every day, every hour, every minute that passes that the international community stays silent on this issue, another Uyghur woman is barred entry to a hospital because she is wearing a veil, or a Uyghur is imprisoned without due process of the law for speaking out against the tyranny of Beijing’s crackdown on Uyghur cultural customs. The Uyghur people pray that individuals like you and me will find it in their hearts to fight for them, because the Chinese Government is surely not. Therefore, I urge you as in the name of freedom, in the name of peace, and in the name of democracy, to help put an end to the suffering by condemning the Chinese Government, and urging them to improve their treatment of the Uyghur people.
In light of the above, I humbly, but firmly, lend my voice to the campaign to free the Uyghurs and for that matter all of the people who live under Beijing’s brutal rule. The Uyghur plight is an important one, and one that I, and countless other constituents of [Official’s Country/State/Province/City], truly care about. Thank you for your time, consideration, and empathy for the Uyghur people.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Occupation/Affiliation]
[Your Address]
Contact Links:
For House and Senate Representation: http://whoismyrepresentative.com/
2) Write to Your Country’s Ambassador to China
Diplomatic Representation: http://www.embassy-worldwide.com//
Ambassador Gary F. Locke
Embassy of the United States
55 Anjialou Road Chaoyang, Beijing, China
Tel: +86 10 8531 3000
http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/
Ambassador Michael Clauss
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
17 Dongzhimen Outer Street Chaoyang, Beijing, China
Tel: +86 10 8532 9000
http://www.china.diplo.de/Vertretung/china/zh/Startseite.html
Ambassador Jacques de Watteville
Embassy of Switzerland
3 Sanlitun East 5th Street Chaoyang,
Beijing, China
Tel: +86 10 6532 2736
http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/zh/home/reps/asia/vchn/embbei.html
Minister and Deputy Head of Mission Andrew Key
British Embassy
11 Guang Hua Lu, Jian Guo Men Wai
Beijing 100600
People’s Republic of China
L’Ambassadeur Sylvie-Agnès BERMANN
Ambassade de France en Chine / 法国驻华大使管 / Embassy of France in China
Liangmaqiao Road Chaoyang, 朝阳区, China, 100600
http://www.ambafrance-cn.org/accueil.html
大使 权宁世
Embassy of the Republic of Korea
20 Dongfang East Road Chaoyang, Beijing, China
Tel: +86 10 8531 0700
http://chn.mofat.go.kr/worldlanguage/asia/chn/main/index.jsp
Ambassador KITERA Masato
日本国驻华大使馆/Embassy of Japan
100600 中国北京市亮马桥东街1号
Tel: 010-8531-9800
http://www.cn.emb-japan.go.jp/
Ambassador Matan Vilnai
Embassy of Israel
17 Tianze Road Chaoyang
Beijing, China
Tel: +86 10 8532 0500
http://embassies.gov.il/beijing/Pages/default.aspx
Ambassador Michel Malherbe
Embassy of Belgium
6 Sanlitun Road Chaoyang,
Beijing, China
Tel: +86 10 6532 1736
Tel: +86 10 653 217 36
http://www.diplomatie.be/beijing
El Embajador Julián Ventura
Embajada de México
Sanlitun Dongwujie #5, Chaoyang Beijing 100600
República Popular China
Tel: (86-10) 6532-2574, 6532-1717, 6532-1947 & 6532-2070
http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/china/
Ambassador Svein O. Sæther
Royal Norwegian Embassy
1, Dong Yi Jie, San Li Tun
Beijing 100600
P.R. China
Ambassador Andrey Ivanovich Denisov
Russian Embassy
Dongzhimen Beizhongjie
Beijing, 100600, China
Tel: (+86 10) 6532 1381, (+86 10) 6532 2051
Ambassador Dr. S. Jaishankar
Embassy of India
No. 5, Liang Ma Qiao Bei Jie,
Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
Tel- +86-10-8531 2500/2501/2502/2503
http://www.indianembassy.org.cn/
Ambassador Masood Khalid
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
No.1, Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Post Code 100600
Beijing, China
Tel: +86 (10) 65326660/ Extention Number 2021.
3) Write to the Chinese Ambassador to Your Country
Find the Chinese Embassy’s contact information in your country:
http://www.chinese-embassy.info/
Some contacts:
Ambassador Cui Tankai
Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Washington
3505 International Place NW
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: 1 (202) 495-2139
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/
Ambassador Zhang Junsai
Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Ottawa
515 Saint Patrick Street Ottawa, ON K1N 5H3
Canada
Tel: +1 613-789-3434
Ambassador Shi Mingde
Botschaft der Volksrepublik China/ Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
Märkisches Ufer 54 10179 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 30 27588 ext. 0
Ambassador Kong Quan
Ambassade de Chine
11 Avenue George V 75008 Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 49 52 19 50
Ambassador Zhao Jun
Kinas ambassade
Tuengen allé 2B 0374
Oslo, Norway
Tel: +47 22 49 20 52
Ambassador Chen Yuming
Kinas Ambassad
Lidovägen 8 115 25
Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 8 579 364 23
http://se.china-embassy.org/eng/
EL EMBAJADOR ZHU BANGZAO
Embajada de la República Popular China
Calle de Arturo Soria, 113 28043
Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 915 19 42 42
http://www.embajadachina.es/esp/
Ambassador Xu Jinghu
Ambassade Chine (Rép. Populaire)
Brunnadern 3006
Berne, Switzerland
Tel: +41 31 352 73 33
http://www.china-embassy.ch/fra/
Ambassador Cheng Yonghua
中華人民共和国大使館
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Tokyo
３−４−３３ Motoazabu Minato,
Tokyo 106-0046, Japan
Tel: +81 3-3403-3388
http://www.china-embassy.or.jp/jpn/
Ambassador Gao Yanping
Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the State of Israel
222 Ben Yehuda St., P.O.B.6067,
Tel Aviv 61060, Israel
Ambassador Zhang Xinsen
Chinese Embassy in Korea
Address: 54, Hyoja-Dong, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, 110033,
Korea
Tel: +82-2-7381038
Fax: +82-2-7381077
Ambassador Wei Wei
Chinese Embassy in Singapore
150 Tanglin Road, Singapore 247969
http://www.chinaembassy.org.sg
Ambassador Zhong Jianhua
Chinese Embassy in South Africa
972 Pretorius Street, Arcadia 0083, Pretoria, South Africa
Tel: +27-12-4316500(Swichboard)
Fax: +27-12-3424244
http://www.chinese-embassy.org.za
Ambassador H.E. Wei Wei
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
50-D, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Delhi, 110021 Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, DL 110021, India Tel: +91 11 2611 2345
http://in.chineseembassy.org/eng/
4) Write to the President of the People's Republic of China
Xi Jinping
President of the People's Republic of China
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyoujie
Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People's Republic of China
5) Write the President of Your Country
United States of America: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Canada: http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/contactpm
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Canada
United Kingdom: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/prime-ministers-office-10-downing-street
Prime Minister David Cameron
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
United Kingdom
Germany: http://www.bundeskanzlerin.de/Webs/BKin/EN/Service/Contact/contact_node.html
Chancellor Angela Merkel
Bundeskanzleramt
Bundeskanzlerin
Angela Merkel
Willy-Brandt-Straße 1
10557 Berlin
Germany
France: http://www.elysee.fr/ecrire-au-president-de-la-republique/
President François Hollande
Japan: https://www.e-gov.go.jp/policy/servlet/Propose
Prime Minister Shinzō Abe
The Prime Minister’s Office of Japan
1-6-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8968
Japan
Australia: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact-your-pm
The Hon. Tony Abbott, MP
Prime Minister
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
Australia
Russia: http://eng.letters.kremlin.ru/
President Vladimir Putin
23, Ilyinka Street,
Moscow, 103132, Russia
ул. Ильинка, д. 23
103132, Москва, Россия
Israel: http://www.pmo.gov.il/English/PrimeMinister/Pages/ContactUs.aspx
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Netanyahu
Prime Minister's Office
3 Kaplan St. Hakirya
Jerusalem
91950
Israel
Turkey: http://www.basbakanlik.gov.tr/Forms/pg_Contact.aspx
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Vekaletler Caddesi Başbakanlık Merkez Bina P.K. 06573 Kızılay /Ankara
Turkey
South Korea: http://english.president.go.kr/common/email.php
President Park Geun-hye
1 Cheongwadae-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-820, Republic of Korea
Republic of China (Taiwan): http://english.president.gov.tw/Default.aspx?tabid=537&Step=Write
President Ma Ying-jeou
Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan)
No. 122, Sec. 1, Chongqing S. Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10048, Taiwan (ROC)
India: http://presidentofindia.nic.in/
President Shri Pranab Mukherjee
The President's Secretariat
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, India – 110 004.
Islamic Republic of Pakistan: http://president.gov.pk/index.php?lang=en&opc=8
President Mamnoon Hussain
6) Start an Event In Your Neighborhood
For information on starting an event, please contact Mr. Omer Kanat, info@iuhrdf.org