The World Uyghur Congress (WUC), a Germany-based rights organization, that voices for the human rights and freedom of the Uyghur People through peaceful means, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2024 on Wednesday.
Notably, this is the second consecutive Nobel Prize nomination for the Uyghur rights group after being nominated in 2023 as well.
The WUC informed in a press release that the nominations for the Nobel Prize were submitted by Canadian Member of Parliament, Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights (SDIR), Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, and Senator of the Italian Republic and former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giulio Terzi.
“It is an immense honour to see the World Uyghur Congress being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize two years in a row,” World Uyghur Congress President, Dolkun Isa said in the press release. “This nomination significantly contributes to the recognition of the WUC’s valuable efforts in advancing democracy and human rights for Uyghurs.”
Isa further said that the nomination sends a ‘powerful message’ highlighting the urgent need to act against the Uyghur genocide being committed by China.
“The nomination of the World Uyghur Congress for the Nobel Peace Prize sends a powerful message against authoritarianism, highlighting the urgent need to end the Uyghur genocide. It is crucial for the international community to actively acknowledge and condemn the genocidal policies enacted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against the Uyghurs, rather than allowing them to go unnoticed and unpunished,” the statement added.
The nomination letters of the WUC highlighted the ‘non-violent approach’ that the Uyghur people have chosen, even when they are facing “harsh repression.”
“The international community should acknowledge and cherish the non-violent approach that the Uyghur people have chosen in the face of the harsh repression they are being subjected to. Such an effort should not be taken for granted and the Nobel Peace Prize would definitely provide the Uyghur community invaluable encouragement,” the nomination letter stated.
It added that over the past 20 years, the World Uyghur Congress has significantly contributed to bringing global attention to the extensive campaign of physical, religious, linguistic, and cultural repression orchestrated by the Chinese Communist Party against the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan.
The World Uyghur Congress thanked Canadian MP Brunelle-Duceppe, and Italian Senator Terzi for their “thoughtful recognition of the WUC’s crucial work”.
“The WUC is truly honoured by their support, as it reflects a shared commitment to promoting peace, human rights, and democracy for the Uyghur community,” it said.
