Washington DC [US], March 8 (ANI): The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has released its weekly brief, highlighting its international advocacy efforts and raising concerns about what it describes as China's continued repression of Uyghurs, particularly during Ramzan, as well as the targeting of Uyghur intellectuals and activists.

Recent reports cited by WUC claim that authorities in Xinjiang, referred to by many Uyghurs as East Turkistan, have imposed strict monitoring during Ramzan. According to information published by Radio Free Asia, Chinese police detained six Uyghur residents in villages across Hotan Prefecture on 27 February for allegedly 'secretly fasting'.

Five of the detainees, all elderly individuals over 70 years old, were later released after warnings and political 'education sessions', while a 30-year-old man reportedly remains in custody and could face criminal charges. Officials are also said to be conducting dawn patrols and entering homes to check for signs that residents are observing the fast.

Alongside these developments, the WUC delegation has been active at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva during its 61st session. The delegation, led by WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun, included Vice President Zumretay Arkin and other representatives who participated in multiple advocacy events. Speaking at a side event organised by the Society for Threatened Peoples, Arkin warned about the growing use of transnational repression, including intimidation and threats directed at the families of Uyghurs living abroad.

Separately, Uyghur literary scholar Yalqun Rozi has been awarded the Graciela Fernandez Meijide Human Rights Prize by the Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de America Latina (CADAL). Rozi, who previously worked as an editor at Xinjiang Education Press, was detained in 2016 and later sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of 'inciting subversion of state power'. Advocates say the award aims to highlight the plight of Uyghur intellectuals imprisoned under China's policies.

WUC representatives have also continued diplomatic outreach in Europe and beyond. In Cologne, a Uyghur delegation, including Alawdun and activist Dolkun Isa, met Turkish Ambassador to Germany Gokhan Turan during an iftar gathering hosted by a Turkish organisation. During the event, the group also handed a letter outlining Uyghur concerns to Bilal Erdogan, addressed to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Meanwhile, WUC Executive Committee Chair Rushan Abbas carried out an advocacy mission in Panama, engaging lawmakers, journalists and civil society leaders to raise awareness of what activists describe as ongoing atrocities against Uyghurs under Chinese rule. (ANI)