Trudeau slammed for abstaining from Parliament's meeting on Uyghur rights
Feb 26, 2021
Washington [US], February 26 : While lauding the Canadian Parliament's recognition of the Uyghur genocide, the US-based Campaign For Uyghurs (CFU) has slammed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Cabinet for abstaining during the meeting of House of Commons on the matter.
In a statement, the CFU expressed disappointment over Trudeau and his Cabinet's abstention from the meeting in the House of Commons.
"It is a complete disappointment, as the Uyghur Movement has expressed, that the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Cabinet abstained from this decision made by the House of Commons. The abstention of a government and its prime minister to subjecting the Uyghurs to the genocide, which says it is an example to the international public in defending human rights, shows that these claims are in vain," the Uyghur rights group said.
Appreciating the Canadian Parliament's move, the group commented that the step is an "encouraging step for both the Canadian Government and other governments to recognize the Uyghur genocide."
"In the statement, while it is expected that economic measures will be implemented against Beijing to stop the genocide in line with this decision, the importance of the call to hold the Winter Olympics in another country instead of China in the acceptance of the House of Commons in 2022 is emphasized," it added.
The CFU also slammed Europe for forgotting "its 'never again' commitments after the Holocaust."
Acknowledging the genocide that China has been perpetrating against the Uyghur people is recognition of the suffering of the Uyghurs and a step towards justice, the Uyghur rights group said that the evidence of genocide is overwhelming in the presence of forced labor schemes, the mass detention of Uyghurs, forced sterilization of Uyghur women, and the forcible transfer of Uyghur children to state-run facilities.
While a definition will not bring an immediate end to the sufferings of the Uyghur people, it is a vital step towards addressing them by acknowledging the realities of what is happening, the group further remarked.
There should be no further dancing around the issue: Beijing is committing genocide, and those who choose to downplay this are standing on the wrong side of humanity, it said.
