Washington, DC [US], July 28 : Prominent Uyghur rights organisation Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) has appreciated the unanimous endorsement of the US Senate Appropriations Committee (USSC) over restricting US visas for Chinese officials related to the detention of Gulshan Abbas, an Uyghur activist sentenced to over 20 years imprisonment by China.
The support from the USSC was headed by US Senator Dick Durbin, who condemned the arbitrary detentions of Uyghurs in China. The USSC is a standing committee in the US Senate having jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate.
According to CFU's press statement, Gulshan Abbas was unjustly detained on September 10, 2018, following her sister, CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas' condemnation of the mass internment and genocidal policies against Uyghurs in China.
Gulshan, now aged around 62, suffers from severe medical conditions that necessitate continuous care. Her detention underscores the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) disturbing practice of transnational repression, targeting dissidents and their families beyond China's borders through methods of kin punishment.
"I extend my deepest gratitude to Senator Durbin for his commitment to my sister's case. The Senate Appropriations Committee's unanimous decision is a victory and a resounding affirmation of the U.S. government's support for the Uyghur people. Gulshan has remained in unjust detention for far too long. We cannot and will not rest until she and all other unjustly imprisoned Uyghurs are freed. This amendment delivers a stark message to the CCP: detaining innocent people will have consequences," CFU's press statement quoted Rushan Abbas as saying
The CFU executive director commended the support shown by the US committee, calling it hope for her family and all Uyghurs who have been suffering due to the CCP's oppression.
In another statement, the President of the Uyghur Academy and brother of Dr Gulshan Abbas said, "This amendment is not just about my sister; it's about sending a clear signal that the international community stands with the Uyghur people both within the United States and within the Uyghur region."
The issue of Gulshan Abbas's imprisonment has been gathering international attention. Previously, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, issued a statement urging China to disclose information about Dr Abbas' condition.
In her statement, she mentioned, "Nearly six years after her detention, Dr Abbas' family members still do not have information on where she is being imprisoned, the evidence used to convict her, or most worryingly of all, her health condition."
In her statement, Lawlor cited former High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet's 2022 report, which highlighted a pattern of "intimidations, threats, and reprisals" against relatives of Uyghurs in exile who spoke out about human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
The call from the UN Special Rapporteur underscores ongoing international concerns about human rights violations against the Uyghur population in China.
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