Slavery Research Bulletin: August 2025

August 18, 2025 | Freedom Fund

The Uyghur Human Rights Project documents a growing network of air cargo routes between Urumchi, in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), and European cities. Analysing flight history data from June 2024 to May 2025, it identified 672 cargo flights from Urumchi to Europe. Up to 2,000 tonnes of goods may be transported monthly via these routes, with the UK (48%), Hungary (24%), Greece (10%), Germany (9%) and Belgium (4%) being top destinations. Given that the XUAR is a key site of state-imposed forced labour, these expanding trade links raise serious questions about the effectiveness of the European Union’s Forced Labour Regulation and the UK’s Modern Slavery Act.

Cited: Report by Peter Irwin and Dr. Henryk Szadziewski (Manifest Risk: New “Air Silk Road” Cargo Flights Carry Risk of Uyghur Forced Labor into Europe).

Read the full bulletin: https://www.freedomfund.org/news/slavery-research-bulletin-august-2025