European Parliament Report Unmasks China’s Global Uyghur Repression Network

Brussels, June 2025 —
A major new study released by the European Parliament has confirmed what many Uyghurs in exile have long feared: China’s campaign of repression has no borders. The June 2025 report, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), exposes Beijing’s systematic transnational harassment of Uyghur human rights defenders, journalists, and dissidents living abroad — including inside the European Union.

Titled “Transnational repression of human rights defenders: The impacts on civic space and the responsibility of host states,” the report identifies China as one of the world’s most aggressive and sophisticated perpetrators of cross-border repression. It paints a chilling picture of how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses surveillance, spyware, coercion-by-proxy, and threats to silence Uyghur voices calling for justice and accountability.

“For Uyghurs living in Europe, this report is both vindication and alarm,” said Abduweli Ayup, a Uyghur rights advocate based in the Norway. “It validates what we’ve experienced — that even in exile, we are not safe from the long arm of Beijing.”

Systematic Targeting of Uyghur Exiles in Europe

The study reveals that Uyghurs are among the primary targets of China’s transnational repression efforts. Alongside Tibetan and Hong Kong activists, Uyghurs have been subjected to digital surveillance, coercive calls from Chinese agents, threats to family members still in East Turkestan (referred to in official Chinese documents as Xinjiang), and attempts to silence them through online defamation campaigns.

One particularly alarming section of the report details how Uyghur journalists and activists have received video calls from Chinese authorities — with detained family members forced to appear on screen — pressuring them to remain silent or collaborate with Chinese intelligence.

“Many of us have been blackmailed with the faces of our mothers, brothers, or children on the other side of a video call,” said a Uyghur journalist now living in Turkiye, who requested anonymity for safety reasons. “This is psychological warfare.”

China’s Digital and Physical Reach

According to the report, China’s transnational repression goes far beyond surveillance. It includes the use of Interpol Red Notices, cancellation of Uyghur exiles’ passports, and in some cases, physical surveillance or intimidation in host countries.

In one shocking case, Swedish authorities in April 2025 arrested a Uyghur man on suspicion of spying on fellow Uyghurs in Sweden on behalf of China’s intelligence services. The man had allegedly been active in the Uyghur community as a speaker and organizer, raising fears of infiltration and betrayal.

“That arrest was a turning point,” said a member of the Uyghur community in Stockholm, who requested anonymity for safety reasons. “It shattered our sense of safety.”

Coercion by Proxy: Family as Hostages

The report also highlights coercion-by-proxy as a key tactic of repression. Uyghurs abroad are routinely punished through their families back home. The report documents a widespread pattern of the Chinese state detaining or harassing relatives in East Turkestan to pressure Uyghur exiles into silence, compliance, or return.

One Uyghur human rights defender cited in the report was told during a call from a Chinese agent, “If you don’t stop your activism, your sister will disappear like your brother.”

EU Institutions Failing to Protect Uyghurs

While the report applauds some emerging awareness and isolated responses by EU Member States, it is sharply critical of the European Union’s fragmented and inadequate protections for Uyghur and other human rights defenders in exile.

Despite the existence of mechanisms like ProtectDefenders.eu, the report notes that Uyghurs continue to face risks even after relocating to Europe, and that many Member States lack the legal, security, and psychological support systems needed to shield them from Chinese threats.

Recommendations from the Report

The European Parliament study calls on the EU and its Member States to:

• Expand legal protections and visa pathways for Uyghur human rights defenders.
• Include transnational repression in the EU’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.
• Provide psychological and legal support to victims.
• Train law enforcement to recognize and respond to foreign surveillance and harassment.
• Crack down on spyware companies enabling authoritarian surveillance.

The report also urges the EU to lead on defining transnational repression as a distinct human rights threat, separate from general foreign interference or espionage.

A Call to Action from the Uyghur Diaspora

For many Uyghurs living in Europe, this report is long overdue. The fear, anxiety, and silence that have plagued their communities for years are now officially recognized in the halls of the EU.

The report’s findings have been welcomed by Uyghur communities in Europe and around the Globe, but there is growing concern that acknowledgment alone is insufficient. Many believe the European Union must take concrete action, warning that each day without meaningful protection allows China’s campaign of intimidation and control to persist unchecked, even across vast distances.