Activists Praise UK 'People's Tribunal' on China's Alleged Uyghur Abuse

WASHINGTON - Human rights activists and Uyghur experts have welcomed a "people's tribunal" initiated in London last week to probe whether China's alleged crimes against the Uyghurs amount to genocide, stressing the need for more practical action from the international community.

A nine-member panel, made up mostly of lawyers and academics and chaired by prominent lawyer Geoffrey Nice, held its first set of hearings in the "Uyghur Tribunal" June 4 to 7 to investigate allegations of China's mistreatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. China, which denies mistreating Uyghurs, scoffed at the panel. According to Luke de Pulford, the U.K.-based human rights campaigner and founder of Coalition for Genocide Response, the tribunal is not endorsed by the British government but could prompt more direct action from authorities.