Photos of the human rights vigil in Wolfsburg

Today, Friday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) and the Uyghur World Congress (WUC) held a human rights vigil in Wolfsburg. The organizations demanded Volkswagen boss Oliver Blume to no longer remain silent about the crimes the Chinese government is committing in Xinjiang / East Turkestan. Volkswagen is the only automotive company that still has a plant there. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the infamous internment camps. Ralf Brandstätter, member of the board of Volkswagen, will travel to the region soon.

Uyghur people demanded Volkswagen to meet up with family members of those who are currently locked up or were disappeared in the Chinese camps or prisons. A letter that was presented to Volkswagen says: “The newest research of the Sheffield Hallam University paints a shocking picture of this reality. Uyghur forced labor has found its way into the supply chains of the global automotive industry – also into those of Volkswagen,” stated Hanno Schedler, STP expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.

The organizers demanded Volkswagen to use the recently launched database of the “Victims of Communism Foundation” to check whether Uyghurs who are working for VW have become victims of the Chinese government. “The database ‘Xinjiang Person Search Tool’ is another evidence for the systematic crimes against the Uyghur peoples. Companies that are active in the region should use it to find out more about the fate of Uyghur workers,” Schedler demanded.

“In view of the ongoing genocide crimes against the Uyghurs, Volkswagen’s ignorance and irresponsible behavior is a prime example of the fact that German companies are still absolutely committed to ‘business as usual’ as a principle,” said Gheyyur Kuerban, head of the WUC’s office in Berlin.

Volkswagen must adhere to the standards defined in the supply chain law and the UN Guidelines on Business and Human Rights. The company should publish a statement on how it is planning to address forced labor in its supply chains. 

You can download photos of the event here.