In 2026, that energy has largely dissipated. Governments that once spoke plainly about conditions in the Uyghur region (Xinjiang, known to Uyghurs as East Turkistan) now say little, or nothing at all. The UN’s human rights office has seemingly made little progress. Western companies continue to expand, largely unchecked, into the Uyghur region. These developments reflect a choice governments and other institutions have made, quietly setting aside Uyghur rights in favor of economic and strategic priorities.
torsdag 22. oktober 2026
The Global Cost of Ignoring Xinjiang
In the years following 2017, when evidence of mass arbitrary detention in China’s Uyghur region began reaching the outside world, a broad coalition responded. Civil society mobilized, governments passed genocide resolutions, the UN launched an investigation, and corporations faced legal exposure over tainted supply chains.
In 2026, that energy has largely dissipated. Governments that once spoke plainly about conditions in the Uyghur region (Xinjiang, known to Uyghurs as East Turkistan) now say little, or nothing at all. The UN’s human rights office has seemingly made little progress. Western companies continue to expand, largely unchecked, into the Uyghur region. These developments reflect a choice governments and other institutions have made, quietly setting aside Uyghur rights in favor of economic and strategic priorities.
In 2026, that energy has largely dissipated. Governments that once spoke plainly about conditions in the Uyghur region (Xinjiang, known to Uyghurs as East Turkistan) now say little, or nothing at all. The UN’s human rights office has seemingly made little progress. Western companies continue to expand, largely unchecked, into the Uyghur region. These developments reflect a choice governments and other institutions have made, quietly setting aside Uyghur rights in favor of economic and strategic priorities.