Astana [Kazakhstan], May 21 : A human rights organisation is calling on Kazakhstan to refrain from deporting a 23-year-old ethnic Kazakh man who recently escaped from Xinjiang, cautioning that he might face persecution and internment in China, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Atajurt, a volunteer organisation advocating for Kazakh individuals affected by oppression in Xinjiang, announced on Friday that it has verified that the man, Yerzhanat Abai, is currently in the custody of Kazakh police, according to RFA.
Serikzhan Bilash, the leader of the organisation, stated that Yerzhanat Abai, a Chinese national, is being held at the Panfilov City Detention Center in Zharkent county, located approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Chinese border, RFA reported.
"He could be quietly transferred to China by either Xinjiang's national security or Kazakhstan's National Security Bureau at any point, and his exact circumstances are unknown. The only way to prevent his repatriation by the Kazakh government is to bring this issue to the attention of the global community," Serikzhan remarked, as quoted by RFA.
Serikzhan, who currently resides in exile in the United States, has actively campaigned for the release of other ethnic Kazakhs detained in Chinese camps, where the Chinese Communist Party is believed to have held around 1.8 million ethnic minorities, including Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslims in mass incarceration facilities since 2017. Beijing refutes these claims.
"Numerous young individuals in Xinjiang are frequently summoned by law enforcement or are sent to educational centers under various pretences, claiming to be offering job opportunities. They are assigned work in factories throughout mainland China, most of which are chemical plants that pose health risks, and the pay is even less than in Xinjiang," Serikzhan commented.
According to Atajurt, Yerzhanat Abai crossed into Kazakhstan on March 27 and requested assistance from the organisation in the Kazakh city of Almaty just four days later, RFA stated.
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