US report: China seeking to forcibly return Uighurs, Tibetans
Monsters and Critics, 17 November 2010
Washington – China has been seeking the forcible return of Tibetan Buddhists and Uighur Muslims who have voiced criticism of Beijing over the lack of religious freedom, the US State Department said Wednesday.
In its annual report on international religious freedom, the State Department said that China has sought to have the individuals returned from Middle East and South Asian countries ‘because of their religious activities and defense of religious freedom.’
The report also cited a UN finding that China forced the return of three Tibetan Buddhists, including a monk, from Nepal – the first since 2003.
The report, which assess religious freedom in all of the world’s countries, covers a period beginning in July 2009 through the end of June. China, along with Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan, remained listed as countries of ‘particular concern.’