New York [US], January 7 : On the birthday of Ekpar Asat, the founder of the Uyghur-language website Baghdax, his sister Rayhan E Asat, a human rights lawyer, renewed calls for his release, highlighting the continued injustice he faces in Chinese detention camps.
Ekpar Asat, who has been imprisoned since 2016, remains one of the many victims of the Chinese government's crackdown on the Uyghur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. His case has drawn widespread international condemnation.
In a heartfelt message shared on X, Rayhan E Asat called attention to her brother's plight, noting that despite a UN ruling declaring his detention arbitrary, he remains unjustly imprisoned.
"Each day, he holds onto hope for justice. This year, I manifest his freedom," she wrote, urging others to join her in demanding his release.
According to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Ekpar was detained upon returning to China after participating in a US leadership programme. Authorities charged him with "inciting ethnic hatred," but the details surrounding his trial remain unclear.
Rushan Abbas, Chair of the World Uyghur Congress Executive Committee, echoed these sentiments, drawing parallels between Ekpar's case and the unjust detention of his own sister, Gulshan Abbas.
"Ekpar's unjust imprisonment reflects the plight of millions of other Uyghurs," Abbas wrote on X, wishing for a future where Uyghur detainees, including Ekpar, are freed.
The detention of Uyghur activists like Ekpar Asat is part of a larger pattern of repression in Xinjiang. China has been accused of carrying out widespread human rights abuses against the Uyghur population, including arbitrary detention, forced labour, and indoctrination in so-called "reeducation" camps.
Beijing argues these measures are necessary to combat extremism and maintain stability. However, international human rights groups and governments have raised concerns about ethnic persecution, with accusations of genocide, forced assimilation, and abuses.
This controversy has sparked widespread calls for justice, highlighting the growing tension between human rights advocacy and China's internal policies.
The case of Ekpar Asat is a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle faced by Uyghur Muslims under Chinese authorities, with activists and human rights organisations calling for global action and justice for the oppressed.
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