IPAC sends letter to ICC . . .
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) sent a letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC) today, calling for it to accept the case to investigate suspected genocide against Uyghur and Turkic Muslims in China. The original complaint by two Uyghur groups to the ICC was submitted in July. IPAC’s letter points out that while China is not an ICC member, the court has a duty to follow its precedent in the 2019 case involving crimes against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar when if found that its jurisdiction includes cases where crimes begin in a member state. In this case, Cambodia and Tajikistan, both ICC members, have detained and deported Uyghurs to China.
IPAC’s growing membership and areas of concern . . .
A group of high-profile lawmakers from nine Western economies, including Canada, launched IPAC in June to help counter what they say is a threat to human rights and the international rules-based order posed by China’s ascendency on the global stage. Since its inception, IPAC has grown to over 100 members from 19 countries. The Alliance has worked to raise awareness of and co-ordinate responses to the China-India border dispute, sterilization of Muslim-minorities in China, the Hong Kong security law, issues in Xinxiang, visitor and media access to and forced labour in Tibet, persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, and Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly and World Health Organization.
Increasing calls to boycott Beijing Olympics . . .
The issue at hand has been building over many years, but the timing of IPAC’s letter is notable as it comes just two days after the announcement of President Donald Trump’s defeat. Regardless of whether that will influence the ICC’s decision to act on the complaint, it is not the only forum active on human rights claims against China. Calls to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing over human rights issues in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong have also been mounting. Such calls began with human rights organizations worldwide, and now politicians in Australia, the U.K., the U.S., and elsewhere have joined the conversation. This will undoubtedly put increased political pressure on an already strained International Olympic Committee.
READ MORE
- The Economist: Calls to boycott the Beijing winter Olympics are growing stronger
- The Guardian: ICC Uighur genocide complaint backed by parliamentarians around world
- Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China: IPAC calls on International Criminal Court to accept case investigating suspected genocide against Uyghur Muslims
