The Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights (UZDM)
is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Germany. Its mission is to promote human rights
and to defend and promote the democratic representation of the Uyghur people, both in China and abroad.
Since its founding in 2019, the UZDM has been actively conducting international advocacy campaigns
with governmental and non-governmental actors to raise awareness of the human rights situation in East Turkistan
and is engaged in capacity-building activities within the Uyghur diaspora.
Our team, which consists mainly of Uyghurs, has extensive experience
in these areas and performs important representative functions for the vast majority
of the global Uyghur diaspora. The UZDM is funded by direct donations
rom the Uyghur community and civil society, from legal and religious institutions
in Germany, and from governments, individuals, and private institutions outside Germany.
The UZDM is a partner organization of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), which has more than twenty years of experience
in research, advocacy, grassroots work, and capacity building.
Mission and goals
Our organization is committed to promoting democratic values within the Uyghur community
and conducts research to raise awareness of the situation in East Turkistan.
We pursue the following goals:
● Educate the German public about the human rights situation of the Uyghurs and
familiarize them with the rich and diverse Uyghur culture.
● Raise public awareness of human rights violations against the Uyghurs.
● Actively campaign for the closure of detention camps and the release of prisoners.
● Support Uyghur youth and the wider community.
Key activities
The UZDM is actively involved in advocacy and research activities to raise awareness:
● Advocacy campaigns
● Publications: Preparation and publication of reports on various
topics related to the genocide of the Uyghurs.
● Capacity building: Supporting and strengthening the Uyghur community.
● Conferences: Organizing various events and gaining
support from the international community.
Structure
The UZDM is a non-profit organization with a board of directors. Board members are
elected every two years. The organization has four elected
positions: president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary general.
The board appoints a executive director who oversees the organization and its daily activities.
Successes
Since its establishment, the UZDM has published two important reports:
● Raise Your Voice: A Toolkit for Uyghur Activists – a guide to protecting
Uyghur activists from transnational repression.
● Creating a Safe Space for Uyghur Women Human Rights Defenders – a report
assessing the mental health of Uyghur women
who are survivors of human rights violations and providing support.
In addition, the UZDM has worked closely with its partner organization, the World Uyghur Congress,
collaborated to organize international events:
● Report presentation Creating a Safe Space for Uyghur Women Human Rights Defenders,
May 2024 in Munich.
● Third International Uyghur Summit and Uyghur Youth Summit,
May 2025 in Munich, Germany.
● Uyghur Youth Workshop, May 2025 in Munich, Germany.