The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) is a research-based advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 2004 as a project of the Uyghur American Association and became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2016.
UHRP focuses on documenting and raising awareness about the human rights situation of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim peoples in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The organization's main mission is to promote human rights and democracy for these communities through research-based advocacy, defending their civil, political, social, cultural, and economic rights in accordance with international human rights standards.
The organization's core activities include publishing detailed reports, briefings, statements, and analyses in both English and Chinese to document conditions in the region. UHRP provides policy recommendations and expert testimony to governments and legislative bodies, including the U.S. Congress, UK Parliament, and the European Parliament, as well as multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and the European Union.
UHRP strives to be an international voice for Uyghurs, providing a platform for their stories, assisting diaspora members, fostering new human rights defenders, and tracking international responses to the crisis in the region. The organization maintains trackers on relevant legislation, international sanctions, and the Chinese government's transnational repression efforts against Uyghurs abroad.
Through its research and advocacy work, UHRP has produced numerous landmark reports that have been cited by governments, international organizations, and media outlets worldwide. The organization works to ensure that the experiences and perspectives of Uyghurs are accurately represented in international policy discussions and that accountability mechanisms are established for documented human rights violations.