Uyghur group challenges U.K. cotton imports

The World Uyghur Congress and the Global Legal Action Network, a nonprofit, brought a case Tuesday against Britain importing cotton products associated with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. The groups are arguing that Britain refused to launch a probe into foreign prison-made goods. This hearing at the London High Court may be the first time a foreign court hears legal arguments from Uyghurs about forced labor in Xinjiang. Other products such as hair extensions are reportedly produced there.

Have other countries stopped importing that cotton? The United States has issued a law that gives border authorities more power to block or seize cotton imports produced in Xinjiang. The law effectively bans cotton from the region unless an importer can prove it was not produced using slave labor. Attorney Jenni Richards told the court that about 85 percent of Chinese cotton comes from Xinjiang, and the country produces about a fifth of the world’s cotton.

Dig deeper: Read William Inboden’s column in WORLD Opinions on the Uyghurs and genocide.