New complaint targets textile giants accused of profiting from Uighur exploitation

The plaintiffs accuse Uniqlo France, Inditex (which owns the brands Zara, Bershka, Massimo Duti), SMCP (Sandro, Maje, de Fursac...) and the shoemaker Skechers of marketing products manufactured in whole or in part in factories where, according to these associations, Uyghurs are subjected to forced labour. © AFP

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Several associations announced, Wednesday, May 17, to have filed a new complaint, after a first classification, targeting clothing giants such as Uniqlo, Zara or Sandro... which they accuse of profiting from the forced labour of Uyghurs in China.

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Misunderstanding. This was prompted last April by the closure by the crimes against humanity unit of the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (Pnat) of a preliminary investigation opened in June 2021 after a first complaint.

The plaintiffs accuse Uniqlo France (owned by the Japanese group Fast Retailing), Inditex (which owns the brands Zara, Bershka, Massimo Duti), SMCP (Sandro, Maje, de Fursac...) and the shoemaker Skechers of marketing products manufactured in whole or in part in factories where, according to these associations, Uyghurs are subjected to forced labour. The anti-corruption association Sherpa, the Ethics on Etiquette collective, the Uyghur Institute of Europe (IODE) and a Uyghur who was interned in Xinjiang province are targeting the offences of concealment of four crimes: crimes against humanity, genocide, aggravated servitude and trafficking in human beings by an organized gang.

With this second complaint with civil party filed Tuesday, May 16, they hope to uncover "the possible responsibilities of clothing multinationals that would take advantage of the forced labor of Uyghurs for the manufacture of their products". According to them, "one in five cotton garments could be tainted by forced labor by Uighurs".

🔎In 2021 the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office opens a preliminary investigation for concealment of crimes against humanity

It finally closes the case without further action, citing its incompetence to prosecute this offense

An incomprehensible 👉 reversal https://t.co/UjtPRGMaAj [2/3]

— Sherpa (@Asso_Sherpa) May 17, 2023

This complaint with civil party, filed Tuesday, May 16, should make it possible to obtain the appointment of an investigating judge.

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One in five cotton garments Concerned?

The complainants also consider that these companies do not justify sufficient checks on their subcontractors. Their lawyer, William Bourdon, hopes for the "recognition of the competence" of French justice "on the basis of the concealment of crimes against humanity". "Textile companies will be held accountable for knowingly enriching themselves, at the cost of the most serious international crimes, in reverse of pure ethical communication," he added.

At the time of the first complaint, all four groups had contested any use of forced labour. Contacted by AFP during the dismissal, the SMCP group had indicated that it had "always refuted with the greatest firmness these accusations" and considered that the decision "(was) following the withdrawal in October 2022 of the name of the SMCP group and its brands" from the report of the Australian NGO.

In addition to these four names, other major groups (Nike, Adidas, Shein ...) are targeted by similar accusations. Washington and several countries speak of a "genocide" against the Uighur Muslim minority and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights evokes crimes against humanity. These accusations are rejected by Beijing, which presents the re-education centers denounced by the West as vocational training centers intended to combat religious extremism and ensure social stability.

>> Read also: Xinjiang: laboratory for the high-tech hunt of Uyghurs

(

With AFP)

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  • France
  • Industry
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  • Uyghurs
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