China’s false accusations against Uyghurs in regards to their missing relatives
Campaign for Uyghurs, 29 December 2019
Unsubstantiated statements have been published by the Global Times, a Chinese propaganda newspaper functioning under the political patronage of the Chinese Communist ruling Party (CCP).
The published article claims that Rushan Abbas, the executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs is a member of an East Turkistan separatist group. With her supposed agenda of tainting the “CCP’s policy in the Xinjiang region,” Abbas was condemned for stealing photos and information of Uyghurs and falsely claiming them to be her missing family members. This is referring to her demands on the CCP releasing her sister Dr. Gulshan Abbas, who has been missing since September 11th, 2018.
Abbas, who is appalled at these allegations stated that, “the CCP is threatened by my activism in the United States. This is evident in their attempt at using ad hominem arguments which are merely opinions as opposed to true hard facts. Their first retaliation to my activism was capturing my sister and my aunt. Now, they are trying to discredit my work and taint reputation by labeling me a deceiver.”
This uncorroborated article is Beijing’s effort at clearing the international pressure the CCP has been under following the recent exposure of their classified documents regarding the treatment of the Uyghurs and other Muslims in China. The 403 pages of leaked documents provide an unprecedented, inside view of the CCP’s racially-targeted and brutal convictions towards the Uyghurs. The second set of classified government documents have revealed chilling details behind China’s mass detention camps. The findings disclosed the truth on the “internal protocols” set in place in the concentration camps which functioned under the euphemism of “vocational training centers.”
Initially, the CCP denied the existence of these camps, stating that they are “pure fabrication.” However, when the United Nations panel retorted that statement and announced that credible reports in fact highlight that one million Uyghurs were held in internment camps, Beijing retracted their statement and proclaimed that the camps are vocational training centers aimed at combatting terrorism. The inconsistencies subtly underline the CCP’s lack of credibility.
The United States House of Representatives showed its advocacy of Uyghurs when they passed the UIGHUR Act of 2019 which called on the international community to take comparable steps and report on the Uyghur atrocity. Since December 3rd, 2019, the revised bill waited for approval by the United States Senate. However, earlier this year, September 11th, 2019, the S. 178, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019 was passed in the Senate by unanimous vote. These acts of support by influential international powers gives hope to Uyghurs in diaspora.
Furthermore, earlier this December, the European Parliament passed a resolution chastising the CCP’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslims. Members of the European Parliament “urge the Chinese government to immediately end the practice of arbitrary detentions without any charge, trial or conviction for criminal offence and to immediately and unconditionally release all detained persons, including this year’s laureate of the Sakharov Prize, Ilham Tohti.”
Abbas is not the only Uyghur activist who is targeted for her work. Dolkun Isa, the president of the World Uyghur Congress has also come under fire by the Global Times’ recent allegations, as well as the World Uyghur Congress. Labeled a terrorist and a criminal. These claims, like in the case of Rushan Abbas, were unfounded and purely feeble attempts at discrediting their work.
In a closing statement, Abbas said, “I am just one example of many Uyghurs who bravely decide to speak about this atrocity. However, the CCP tries to silence us by having our family pay the price for our activism. Silence is as much the problem as the actual human rights violations inflicted on my people.” The Uyghur women in East Turkistan are suffering the consequences of the silence. There are media reports of Han Chinese officials deploying to Uyghur homes to live and lay in beds with Uyghur women while their men are taken.
“Imagine. I can’t believe that the world is not outraged by this. Where are the advocates, celebrities and strong voices for the women’s rights and the feminist movements?” she asks.