(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/25/22) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the release by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) two sample Known Importer Letters relating to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). CBP had promised to issue such letters to importers identified as potentially subject to the UFLPA and is an important next step in the U.S. government fighting China’s use of forced Uyghur Muslim and other Turkic minority slave labor.
In addition to the sample Known Importer Letters, CBP released guidance on enforcement mechanisms under UFLPA.
SEE: CBP Releases Known Importer Letters and Enforcement Guidance relating to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
“The release of these sample Known Importer Letters and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act enforcement guidance is an important next step in our government is taking the genocide targeting China’s Uyghur Muslim population seriously,” said CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw.
With these letters, CBP is urging importers to take greater steps in reviewing their supply chains to ensure products in their supply chains are not being manufactured or supplied by from that nation’s Xinjiang autonomous region. The burden is now on importers to ensure their supply chain is free from Chinese forced Uyghur Muslim and other Turkic minority slave labor.
Yesterday, CAIR responded to the unprecedented leak of hacked files exposing China’s ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps by calling on American corporations to stop doing business with the Chinese Communist Party.
CAIR also called on Muslim-majority nations around the world to unite and demand that China immediately stop the genocide of Uyghur Muslims.
[NOTE: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is currently in China and is scheduled to visit Xinjiang, where her office said last year it believes Uyghur Muslims have been unlawfully detained, mistreated and forced to work.]
BACKGROUNDER ON UYGHUR GENOCIDE:
The Chinese government is targeting Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic ethnic minorities with a campaign of genocide. Millions of Uyghurs have been detained in concentration camps in which beatings, torture and rape are the norm. Millions more are being used as slave labor by on plantations and in Chinese factories.
CAIR and more than 40 international partners have an ongoing campaign calling on members of the public to not make reservations at Hilton Hotels due to the corporation’s connection with the Uyghur genocide.
COMMUNITY ADVISORY: CAIR Calls on Public to Not Reserve at Hilton Hotels Over Holidays Due to Uyghur Genocide Connection – #BoycottHilton
In April, CAIR welcomed a new report by the U.S. Department of State exposing China’s ongoing genocide targeting Uyghurs Muslims in Xinjiang.
In its country report for China, the State Department said:
“Genocide and crimes against humanity occurred during the year against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang. These crimes were continuing and included: the arbitrary imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty of more than one million civilians; forced sterilization, coerced abortions, and more restrictive application of the country’s birth control policies; rape; torture of a large number of those arbitrarily detained; forced labor; and draconian restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, and freedom of movement.”
2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: China (Includes Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet)
https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/china/
CAIR also called on Secretary of State Blinken to offer asylum to four Uyghurs, including a 13-year-old-girl, that Saudi Arabia reportedly plans to deport to China tonight unless another country offers them refuge.
CAIR joined several advocacy groups, including Free Uyghur Now, Uyghur American Association, Campaign for Uyghurs, and Uyghur Human Rights Project to stage protests outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington D.C, and consulates in New York and Los Angeles, to call on the Kingdom to halt its planned deportation of Uyghurs to China.
SEE: Breaking: Emergency Rallies in NY, DC, LA, Vancouver to Stop Deportation of Uyghurs by Saudi Arabia
In January, CAIR joined more than 70 Uyghur, interfaith, and human rights organizations to send letters to the Saudi government calling on them to stop the deportations.
In December, CAIR welcomed President Biden’s signing of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (S.65/H.R.1155) into law. CAIR also welcomed new sanctions by the Biden administration on several Chinese government entities and corporations over abuses they committed against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities.
SEE: BREAKING: CAIR Welcomes President Biden’s Signing of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Into Law
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com