An event held on Capitol Hill showcased efforts to preserve Uyghur culture and highlighted the use of 3D modeling technology amid ongoing reports of genocide. The gathering featured several prominent speakers, including Dr. Rishat Abbas, President of the Uyghur Academy (UA); Allison Peters, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State; Anjali Kaur, Deputy Assistant Administrator at the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Asia; Scott Worden, Director of Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP); Dr. Sophie Richardson from the Wilson Center; Abdulhamit Karahan, Founder of UA; Dean Baxendale, CEO of Optimum Publishing International and the China Democracy Fund; and Dr. Adrian Zenz, Director of China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
Piero Tozzi, Staff Director at the Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC), participated in a live demonstration showcasing UTJD’s virtual reality technology that depicts concentration camps. This immersive experience was followed by remarks from Tursunay Ziyawudun, a survivor of such camps.
A panel discussion ensued featuring Piero Tozzi; Dr. Gulnar Eziz from the Uyghur Academy; Adiljan Abdurihim from UTJD; and Dr. Rian Thum from the University of Manchester.
Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU), shared her reflections after viewing a 3D modeling video: “We applaud the incredible work of the Uyghur Transitional Justice Database. Seeing those walls, the medical equipment, those prison bars… that is the reality of the Uyghur people every day. I can’t help but wonder, did my sister, Gulshan, see those walls?” Abbas also commended efforts by the Uyghur Academy to create new textbooks in the Uyghur language as essential for cultural preservation amid ongoing genocide.
CFU praised both USIP's and UA's work in developing these educational resources and urged legislative action: "We strongly urge the Senate to pass the Uyghur Policy Act and the House to pass the Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act without delay."
