UK Urged to Ban Imports Linked to Uyghur Forced Labour

UK Urged to Ban Imports Linked to Uyghur Forced Labour
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The Sentinel Assam reports that leading human rights organizations are pressuring the UK Parliament to ban imports of key minerals from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The organizations, including Anti-Slavery International, Campaign for Uyghurs, and the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), have submitted evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee, arguing that the UK’s green energy initiatives must not be linked to forced labor.

The evidence highlights that critical minerals used in green technology, such as polysilicon, lithium, manganese, and aluminum, are produced in a region where an estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims have been subjected to forced labor. The UHRP states that due to extreme surveillance and coercion, it is impossible to conduct proper human rights due diligence, and the current system effectively supports the Chinese government’s repression.

The article notes that over 45% of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon originates from the Xinjiang region, and major solar manufacturers have been linked to these labor transfer schemes.