Incoming president Turganjan Alwadun said about the elections, ‘This democratic process was an incredibly important moment for the Uyghur diaspora community.’
Sarajevo, Bosnia: In 1992, the world was horrified to learn that severe ethnic violence, including war crimes and ethnic cleansing, targeted Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serb forces directed by leader Milosevic. His crazed nationalistic ideology had been embraced by many who followed him and “Never Again” was now on the front pages of a free press around the world. Following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, Bosnian Serbs, aiming to create an ethnically “pure” Serb territory, launched attacks that included mass killings, forced displacement, and systematic rape, notably in towns like Srebrenica, where over 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were massacred.
The atrocities prompted global outrage, and in 1995, NATO intervened with airstrikes against Bosnian Serb positions to halt further violence. This decisive action, coupled with diplomatic efforts, led to the Dayton Peace Accords, ending the conflict. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was later established, convicting key leaders for genocide and war crimes, thus shaping a precedent for international justice and accountability in modern conflicts.
When Professor Sir Geoffrey Nice, KC worked for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to prosecute Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes, he could hardly have known some two decades later he would be then heading an important tribunal in the British parliament that would explore the claims of genocide by Uyghurs from the Uyghur Autonomous Region (UAR) better known to the world as Xinjiang, China. A word that means new territory. The CCP overran the country just as it did Tibet in 1949, accumulating millions of square miles of land with ethnic peoples who had lived and built communities for centuries. Between the CCCP and the CCP the two communist dictatorships swallowed by more countries and territory than the entire British empire had accumulated in its 500-year history of colonization.
When Sir Geoffrey and his team labelled what was taking place in East Turkestan a cultural genocide, he was on strong ground as the US State Department in January of 2021 under then Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo declared that China was committing “ongoing” genocide against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang less than 24 hours before leaving that office. So, when the conference opened in Sarajevo it was fitting that Sir Geoffrey address the delegates live via a video link. His commentary and message were well received by the close to 200 people attending the conference in person which included Uyghur delegates from 34 countries. Sir Geoffrey emphasized taking the findings of cultural genocide and pressing these findings to the press, politicians and concerned business leaders worldwide. He stated that the PRC intended to destroy Uyghur culture through its forced labour and internment camps and such visceral hatred by the PRC is a state of mind of PRC leaders from the region through to Beijing.
He went on to state that the UK Government declined to accept the findings of their report because, “had they accepted them, they would have been bound by international law to act on those findings under the United Nations Genocide Convention.” He surmised that the geopolitics of appeasement and keeping Beijing engaged had led to such short-sited political decision-making, which the powerful business lobby and pro-CCP organizations like the 48 Group Club and Communist Party official were all lobbying intensely against recognizing the tribunals report.
This 8th General Assembly would mark an important milestone as new leadership was on the table with close to forty Uyghurs vying for various positions on the board of the World Uyghur Congress. Chinese human rights movement faced some controversy based on some claims of sexual harassment by leaders in the movement, including two leaders in the Uyghur movement. But when you weighed the facts of the case, you saw that this was a fragile story that was not picked up by any in the mainstream media as it lacked merit as a whole. Nonetheless it provided leadership with an opportunity to improve their processes and procedures and they did so over the months leading to this Congress.
Naturally, the CCP jumped all over it to try to discredit the entire Uyghur and pro-democracy movement, posting the story to their consular sites and engaging in disinformation about the Uyghurs specifically. They tried to convince Parliamentarians not to show up, and numerous leaders faced threats before coming to the Congress. The WUC had to suffer a targeted campaign of misinformation and e-mails were hacked and erroneous messages sent to possible attendees from around the world. Needless to say, security was tight, and thanks to local officials and the hotel management, all delegates felt very secure during their time in Sarajevo,
After two days of great panels and discussions, it was time for delegates to decide on who would lead them for the next three years. So, the election of a new board using a new electronic voting process along with an independent election committee to oversee the elections marked a significant step forward in demonstrating to the world the commitment of the Uyghur community for exercising democracy. Their fight for freedom and democracy against the oppressive tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party is the most important human rights battel of our times. This election achieved a better gender balance, with seven extremely talented and dedicated women being elected, including Washington-based Rushan Abbas as Executive Board Chair with oversite and governance for the. Rushan heads the Campaign for Uyghurs and has brought more Uyghur women into key advocacy roles in countries worldwide over the past decade. Zumretay Arkin was elected as one of three Vice Presidents. Notably, Arkin was recently honoured with the prestigious Four Freedoms Award, highlighting her contributions to liberty and human rights.
Having had the privilege of working with many of these leaders, I am confident that their election will foster inclusive policymaking and advance the pro-democracy agenda and human rights agenda. The increased gender representation reflects a growing recognition that diversity strengthens leadership and decision-making, laying a foundation for transformative progress in the years to come.
It was outgoing president Dolkun Isa’s idea for an election committee of non-Uyghur voting delegates to oversee the process. I was honoured to be nominated to lead the five-member committee tasked with supervising the first-ever electronic voting system for Congress. This system, designed to be transparent, auditable, and verifiable, was a resounding success. After incorporating feedback from the entire committee, we proudly signed off on the official report and delivered it to the Board.
Incoming president Turganjan Alwadun said about the elections, “This democratic process was an incredibly important moment for the Uyghur diaspora community. It was also a clear message to Beijing that no threats will stop us from exercising our fundamental rights.” He went on to state, “We need the continued support of the international community to preserve our democratic processes.”
This symbolic achievement—a free, fair, and verifiable election—sends a powerful message to the Chinese Communist Party. Despite Beijing’s relentless efforts to distort history, discredit Uyghur leaders, and suppress the pro-democracy movement, this election demonstrates the unyielding resolve of free people to choose their leaders without fear or coercion. It stands as a beacon of hope for all who aspire to freedom and democracy, underscoring the enduring truth that the human spirit cannot be silenced.
* Dean Baxendale is a Publisher, CEO of the China Democracy Fund and co-author of the upcoming book, Canada Under Siege.