Join us for an evening of Uyghur poetry, music and dance in honour of the resilience of Uyghur people fighting against the Chinese Government’s brutal policies outlined in the CCP’s declaration to “break their lineage, break their roots, break their connections, and break their origins.” In commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Genocide Convention, we reflect upon a vision of a world where genocide and other mass atrocities are not just condemned, but also effectively prevented and punished. In contrast to the Convention's goals, Uyghurs have endured severe repression and crackdowns imposed by the Chinese government for decades, which escalated to genocide beginning in 2016. In the spirit of resistance and resilience, as demonstrated by the Uyghurs, we maintain a strong hope and unwavering commitment in our advocacy for the United Kingdom and international community to fulfill Raphael Lemkin's vision as outlined in the Genocide Convention.
This event is organized by Stop Uyghur Genocide and co-sponsored by the Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative.
You will hear from Mr. Hamid Sabi, Counsel to the Uyghur Tribunal, and Tahir Hamut Izgil, a distinguished Uyghur poet and author of the memoir Waiting to be Arrested at Night. They will be in conversation with Professor Stephanie Barclay, faculty director of the Religious Liberty Initiative at Notre Dame Law School, about Tahir's life and memoir. The discussion will be followed by a cultural performance from Rahima Mahmut and the Miras Silk Road Collective, featuring Tara Catherine Pandeya.
This is a private invitation-only event. To request invitations for colleagues, family, or friends, please provide their names and email addresses to contact@stopuyghurgenocide.co.uk.
While attendance of this event is free, we would immensely appreciate it if you could kindly consider donating to support our charity's work via the following link.
We hope to have your company as we reflect on a world where genocide and mass atrocities are not only condemned, but prevented and punished.
Speakers
Mr. Hamid Sabi
Mr. Hamid Sabi is a London-based human rights lawyer with an international practice in human rights, arbitration, and litigation. Mr. Sabi acted as Counsel and Rapporteur to the Iran Tribunal, Counsel to the China Tribunal, and most recently served as Counsel to the Uyghur Tribunal which took place in London.
Rahima Mahmut
Rahima Mahmut is a Uyghur singer, human rights activist, and translator. Rahima’s work includes producing music for award-winning Al Jazeera documentary titled Living in the Unknown, and working as a consultant and translator for the BAFTA-winning ITV documentary Undercover: Inside China’s Digital Gulag. A prominent voice for Uyghurs in the UK, Rahima is currently UK Director of the World Uyghur Congress, Executive Director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, and an Advisor to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
Tahir Hamut Izgil
Tahir Hamut Izgil is one of the foremost poets writing in the Uyghur language who grew up in Kashgar. Tahir’s poetry has appeared in The New York Review of Books, Asymptote, Words Without Borders, and Berkeley Poetry Review, and has also been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, and French. In 2017, as the Chinese government began the mass internment of the Uyghur people, Tahir fled with his family to the United States. His new book, Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide, was published in September.
Professor Stephanie Barclay
Professor Stephanie Barclay directs Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Initiative, which promotes freedom of religion or belief for all people through advocacy, student formation, and scholarship. Professor Stephanie Barclay’s research focuses on the role our different democratic institutions play in protecting minority rights, particularly at the intersection of free speech and religious exercise.
Miras Silk Road Collective
The Miras Silk Road Collective, founded in 2018, works to encourage collaboration among musicians from different cultures along the Silk Road, and celebrate their shared cultural heritage. The core group of professional Uzbek and Uyghur performers has collaborated with musicians and dancers from India, China, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The Miras Silk Road Collective performs classical maqam, folk songs, and instrumental pieces on traditional instruments, ranging widely across Turkish, Azeri, Iranian, Afghan, Uzbek, and especially Uyghur musical traditions.
Programme of events
6:00 p.m. Arrival of guests, Reception and Snacks
6:30 p.m. Opening remarks from Mr Hamid Sabi
6:40 p.m. ‘In Conversation’ with Tahir Hamut Izgil, led by Professor Stephanie Barclay
7:20 p.m. Performance by the Miras Silk Road Collective, led by Rahima Mahmut
8:00 p.m. Drinks, Snacks, and Networking
8:30 p.m. Event ends