Washington, Oct 17 (IANS) The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise concerns over the growing vulnerability of Uyghurs in Central Asia to China’s transnational repression as he prepares to visit Uzbekistan next week.
According to the WUC, Central Asia has emerged as both a refuge for Uyghurs fleeing persecution in China’s Xinjiang region and a place where they remain vulnerable to pressure, surveillance, intimidation, arbitrary detention and forced returns to China.
“Uyghurs living in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and other countries in Central Asia have long faced pressure because of Beijing’s demands for cooperation against Uyghur political, cultural, and religious activity,” it noted.
The organisation recalled that former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the Uyghur issue publicly in 2019 during a meeting with Central Asian leaders, urging them not to deport Uyghurs to China. He reiterated the concern in 2020 during a visit to Kazakhstan.
The WUC said Rubio now has a “rare opportunity” to follow suit and reaffirm the US government’s support for Uyghur rights across Central Asia.
The WUC called on Rubio to demand an end to the forced return of Uyghurs to China, urging Central Asian governments not to deport, extradite or otherwise transfer them to Chinese authorities, where they face a serious risk of persecution, arbitrary detention, torture and other grave human rights violations.
The organisation also urged Washington to press governments across Central Asia to reject Chinese requests to monitor, intimidate, detain or silence Uyghurs over their political opinions, peaceful activism, religious practices or contact with relatives abroad.
Last month, the WUC called on US President Donald Trump and his administration to raise the issue of Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang, as well as transnational repression of diaspora communities by Chinese authorities, during President Xi Jinping’s visit to the US on September 24.
“Xi’s visit to Washington is a strategic moment to move beyond words of condemnation on the Uyghur genocide. The United States has been a strong and vocal ally to the Uyghur people, and Donald Trump has to use this opportunity to continue proving it,” said WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun.
–IANS
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