Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa: ‘China should be held accountable for its crimes’

Dolkun Isa, a prominent Uyghur activist, spoke out against China's alleged crimes against humanity in Xinjiang during his visit to Buenos Aires. This visit was primarily for a conference and to attend the awards ceremony for a Uyghur writer, Yalqun Rozi, who was in jail for "inciting subversion of state power." Isa claims that his participation was pressured by China through diplomatic channels, part of Beijing's broader campaign of "transnational repression" against Uyghur activists abroad.

The event at the City Legislature was cancelled a week before the scheduled date, a move that Isa attributes to Chinese pressure exerted on the Argentine government and the Buenos Aires City Council. This incident, he argues, underscores the transnational nature of China's repression efforts. Despite China's denial of genocide and systematic repression in Xinjiang, Isa maintains that Beijing's policies extend far beyond its borders and that Argentina could become a crucial battleground in efforts to hold Chinese officials accountable.