No cooperation with supporters of genocide

Today – on the occasion of Human Rights Day – the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) held a human rights campaign in front of the Chinese embassy in Berlin, demanding the Chinese Huawei Group to be excluded from plans to expand the 5G network in Germany. The company is involved in the genocide of the Muslim nationalities of the Uyghurs and Kazakhs in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang/East Turkestan. "Huawei provides the Chinese state with technical tools to identify members of minorities more effectively, so that they can be locked up in camps without trial. The Communist Party has called the company a 'national champion'. These champions of surveillance must not be rewarded with billion-dollar contracts for the 5G expansion," stated Hanno Schedler, STP expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.

According to the Washington Post, Huawei had partnered with Megvii in 2018, to develop and test an artificial intelligence-based camera system that triggers a "Uyghur alert" when a member of that nationality is detected. "The introduction of the EU Magnitsky Law, which focuses on sanctions for human rights violations, should be followed by EU-wide sanctions against companies that are involved in the genocide of Muslims in China," Schedler added. "In addition to destroying Uyghur cemeteries and mosques and fighting against the Uyghur language and culture, the Chinese government is trying to achieve total surveillance. Huawei – along with other companies such as the Chinese Technology Group, a partner of Siemens – is a loyal part of the system. The Chinese government and Huawei should not be allowed to simply do what they want with regard to critical infrastructure and internationally recognized human rights."