{"id":7648,"date":"2026-10-10T10:50:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T10:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.utjd.org\/news\/?p=7648"},"modified":"2026-10-10T10:51:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T10:51:05","slug":"documenting-human-rights-abuses-and-advancing-corporate-due-diligence-lessons-from-east-turkistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.utjd.org\/news\/documenting-human-rights-abuses-and-advancing-corporate-due-diligence-lessons-from-east-turkistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Documenting Human Rights Abuses and Advancing Corporate Due Diligence: Lessons from East Turkistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Adiljan Abdurihim, Coordinator for Uyghur Transitional Justice Database presented a session\u00a0\u201cDocumenting Human Rights Abuses and Advancing Corporate Due Diligence: Lessons from East Turkistan\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0as part of the\u00a0IHRB Masters Course in Business and Human Rights<\/a>, jointly offered by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), the University of Bergen, and the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the session, Adiljan introduced the work of the Uyghur Transitional Justice Database (UTJD) in documenting human rights violations against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan. We explored how survivor testimonies, open-source intelligence, leaked documents, satellite imagery, and other forms of evidence can help document arbitrary detention, internment facilities, and forced labour\u2014even when independent access to the region is severely restricted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A central theme was the connection between human rights documentation and corporate accountability. Forced labour risks do not necessarily end at a factory gate or remain within one region. Raw materials and products can pass through multiple suppliers, processors, and countries, making it difficult for companies to identify the origins of their goods. We discussed why conventional social audits may be insufficient in highly restrictive environments, where workers may be unable to speak freely and independent investigations face serious obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several important lessons emerged from the discussion:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n