Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on the United States Congress to reinstate funding for Radio Free Asia’s (RFA) Uyghur language service. RFA’s coverage has been pivotal in documenting the human rights abuses faced by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang region of China, a region noted for its restrictions on independent reporting. RSF argued that shutting down the Uyghur service would silence a crucial platform for exposing atrocities committed against the ethnic group, leaving a significant gap in global awareness and advocacy. Further details can be found in the original report.
The closure of RFA’s Uyghur service follows the broader financial constraints imposed by the Trump administration, which defunded the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) earlier this year. This move led to significant job cuts across USAGM-supported outlets, including RFA, as confirmed in recent announcements by the organization itself.
Prominent journalist Gulchehra Hoja, formerly with the service, expressed her concerns over the decision, pointing out that it coincides with China’s intensification of its repressive policies. According to Hoja, the closure undermines an essential source of information for both the international community and the Uyghur population. She termed the situation as detrimental not only to the rights of the Uyghur people but also to the U.S.’s role in advocating for human rights globally.
China’s treatment of the Uyghurs, including forced labor, mass “reeducation camps,” and other human rights violations, has been widely condemned. The U.S. State Department, under then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, recognized these actions as genocide in 2021, citing policies aimed at the forced assimilation and erasure of the Uyghur community, as detailed in a past determination. A comprehensive overview of these issues was outlined in a 2022 report by the Council on Foreign Relations.
RSF’s call to restore the Uyghur service aims to address this crucial gap in reporting, underscoring the importance of independent media in holding power to account and informing the global community about human rights abuses in closed societies. The organization hopes that Congress will prioritize this issue in its legislative agenda.