Geneva, July 3 -- World Uyghur Congress former president and a leading Uyghur rights advocate, Dolkun Isa, has raised alarm over the ongoing persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China's northwest Xinjiang region, which many Uyghurs refer to as East Turkestan.

Speaking at the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Isa described the situation as "dire," with widespread human rights violations continuing under the pretext of state security and development.

"The situation of Uyghurs in East Turkestan is still dire. Still, a million people are suffering in concentration camps. Forced labour is still an issue. There are still one million Uyghur children separated from their families and subjected to forced labour. Forced separatio...