General Meeting of Volkswagen Group

On the occasion of tomorrow’s general meeting of Volkswagen Group, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), and the Association of Critical Shareholders (Dachverband der Kritischen Aktionärinnen und Aktionäre) demand the management of Volkswagen Group to take measures to ensure that no profits are generated from the crimes of genocide committed by the Chinese government against the Uyghur people.

Volkswagen is still not willing to give up its controversial project in the main settlement area of the Uyghur people in China. The catastrophic human rights situation in the region is sufficiently documented: Millions of Uyghurs and members of other Turkic peoples are indoctrinated, tortured, and raped there. More and more factories are being built next to the internment camps – and the inmates are forced to perform forced labor at low wages. According to research by the Sheffield Hallam University, several VW suppliers are involved in state-run work transfer programs that are based on forced labor.

Haiyuer Kuerban, Head of the Berlin office of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC): “The Chinese government is conducting a social experiment on the Uyghurs that is unparalleled, and VW is in the middle of it. Everything suspected of being Uyghur, including the population, is to be wiped out, preferably in such a way that no one on the outside notices. Therefore, I appeal to you, Mr. Blume, dear Supervisory Board members and shareholders: take action to ensure that Volkswagen does not become a profiteer of the genocide against the Uyghurs. Act now!”

Kendyl Salcito, Director of the human rights organization NomoGaia and co-Author of the report “Driving Force”: “Volkswagen has committed to respecting human rights in its operations, and its continued presence in the Uyghur region contradicts these commitments.” The abuses committed by VW’s regional partners are well-documented and staggering. No amount of profit should justify VW’s complicity in genocide.”

Hanno Schedler, expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect at the Society for Threatened Peoples: “VW’s major shareholder Lower Saxony must also take an unequivocal stand on the crimes that have been committed in East Turkistan for years. When it comes to genocide, the silence must end

Protest action and interviews on the occasion of Volkswagen’s general meeting:

Wednesday, May 10, 2023 – from 8 am to 11 am at the City Cube, Messedamm 26, 14055 Berlin

On the occasion of the General Meeting of Volkswagen Group, the Society for Threatened Peoples, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), and the Association of Critical Shareholders are organizing a human rights action following the motto “Stop Uyghur forced labor in VW supply chains!” in Berlin.

In the course of the General Meeting, Gheyyur Kuerban of the Uyghur World Congress and Kendyl Salcito, co-author of the report “Driving Force”, will speak and confront the corporation with critical questions. Both of them will answer questions after the event.

Counter-motions of the Association of Critical Shareholders – including detailed points of criticism (in German): https://www.kritischeaktionaere.de/volkswagen/menschenrechtliche-sorgfalt-ungenuegend-klimaschutz-mangelhaft-unsere-gegenantraege/ 

Press contacts:

Hanno Schedler (Society for Threatened Peoples): h.schedler@gfbv.de or +49 176 34994337

Gheyyur Kuerban (Uyghur World Congress): kuerban@uyghurcongress.org or +49 176-80569329

Tilman Massa (Association of Critical Shareholders): tilman.massa@kritischeaktionaere.de, +49 221 5995647 or +49 173 7135237 (mobile)