In 2024, Uyghur Hjelp (also known as Uyghuryar) undertook various initiatives to stop ongoing Uyghur genocide, to preserve Uyghur language and culture, to support the Uyghur community and raise global awareness about the challenges they face. Here are some of the key activities:
- Advocacy and Awareness
- Highlighting Uyghur Plight: Uyghur Hjelp played a pivotal role in informing international media, research institutions, parliaments and human rights organizations about the ongoing Uyghur genocide, ensuring the issue remained prominent in global discussions.
- Publication of Reports: The organization contributed to and co-published reports on critical issues, such as the detention of Uyghur female community leaders and the replacing the Uyghur village names.
- Documenting and Translating Interrogation Records: Uyghur Hjelp keep documenting evidence about human rights violations against Uyghurs, for example, Uyghur Hjelp published an article titled “A speech put 24 Uyghurs in danger,” detailing the interrogation of Meremnisa Estilla and the subsequent detention of 24 individuals.
- Education and Cultural Preservation
- Resource Development: To enhance mother tongue education, Uyghur Hjelp prepared and published the book “Güldäk Ailäm” (“My Uyghur Home”).
- Translation Projects: The organization translated and edited “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humanity” and published the Uyghur version of Tahir Hamut’s “Waiting to Be Arrested at Night.”
- Scholarships: Uyghur Hjelp continued to provide scholarships to three doctoral and one master’s Uyghur students in Turkey, as well as ongoing financial support to high school and middle school students in Istanbul, Kayseri.
- Teachers Training and Youth Engagement
- Teachers Training: The organization focused on training mother tongue educators in teaching methodologies.
- Youth Programs: Uyghur Hjelp organized courses in history, culture, and arts for adolescents and provided training in new ideas and knowledge for young people who are from 10 European countries.
- Documentation of Forced Labor
- Archiving Testimonies: The organization identified individuals involved in forced labor, especially those connected to tomato, cotton, pepper picking program, and archived their testimonies.
- Investigating cultural destructions: Uyghur Hjelp documented the destructions of Uyghur cultural sites, like tombs, statues and cemeteries.
- Cultural Events
- Uyghur Cultural Festival: On November 9, 2024, Uyghur Hjelp organized a cultural festival at the Bergen City Library in Norway to promote Uyghur heritage.
- Media Initiatives
- YouTube Channel: The organization initiated the “Dialogue” YouTube channel, providing support through advice and funding.
- Conferences and Workshops
- Mother Tongue Education Conference: Uyghur Hjelp organized a conference in Washington D.C. in June, leading discussions and preparing guidelines for educators.
- Youth Cultural Training: From August 16 to 18, 2024, the organization held a cultural training course for young people from 10 European countries in Stockholm, Sweden.
- International Outreach
- Mother language School Visits: In May 2024, representatives visited Uyghur language schools in Adelaide (Australia), Munich (Germany), and Washington D.C. to provide guidance and gather community feedback.
- Film Screenings: In July 2024, Uyghur Hjelp organized screenings of the film “All Static & Noise” in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, Australia, to raise awareness about the Uyghur genocide. We also screened another short documentary “Behind the Mask” in Washington DC, University of California in Santa Barbara, Irvine, LA.
- Participation in International Forums
- Geneva Summit: In February 2024, Abduweli Ayup, a representative of Uyghur Hjelp, participated in the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.
- 2000 Forum in Prague: In October 2024, the organization took part in the Forum 2000 conference in Prague.
- Research and Publications
- Surveillance Technology Article: Uyghur Hjelp published an article in English discussing China’s surveillance technology and its impact on the Uyghur population.
- Detainee Documentation: The organization continued its efforts to identify and document Uyghur detainees, focusing on intellectuals and religious figures, and updating their archives.
- Translation of Police Files: Uyghur Hjelp translated significant portions of the “Xinjiang Police Files” into English, making them accessible to journalists, researchers, human rights workers, and the public.
- Literary Translations: The organization translated excerpts from works of detained Uyghur writers into English and Norwegian, sharing them at conferences and publishing related articles.
- Preserving Bookstore: Uyghur Hjelp provides financial assistance to The Taklamakan Uyghur bookstore in Turkey to prevent its closure.
