Human Rights in the XUAR Dec 17, 2010

Today Human Rights Radio spoke with John who is an international student from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China.  John details the situation for Uyghurs in their own homeland.  In one incident, he recounts how he was rejected in a job interview simply because he is Uyghur.   He is fluent in Mandarin (their own Turkic  language is now forbidden in schools or in the workplace), and had the educational requirements for the job.  His appreciation for statements about human rights made  by Prime Minister Stephen Harper directly influenced his decision to come to Canada to get his Masters in Engineering.  The issues in the XUAR are complex and difficult, but John (and Amnesty International) contends that solutions must be found that do not discriminate against the Uyghur people.