UN Experts Concerned About Uyghur Doctor Gulshan Abbas’ Imprisonment in China
Geneva, Switzerland, August 8: A group of UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights has written to Chinese authorities expressing serious concerns about the conviction and imprisonment of Uyghur doctor Gulshan Abbas. The UN believes she has been serving a 20-year sentence since 2019 on terrorism-related charges without due process and without informing her family of her whereabouts.
Who Are the UN Special Rapporteurs?
The letter was written by three UN Special Rapporteurs: Mary Lawlor, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Tlaleng Mofokeng, the Special Rapporteur on the right to health; and Margaret Satterthwaite, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.
Concerns Raised by the UN
The UN panel expressed serious concerns about the lack of due process in Gulshan Abbas’ conviction and the failure of Chinese authorities to provide information to her family. They believe these actions may be in retaliation for the human rights activism of her sister, Rushan Abbas, who has been vocal about the treatment of Uyghurs in China.
The rapporteurs emphasized the need for states to protect the lives of individuals deprived of their liberty and highlighted the risks of inadequate detention conditions, which can lead to serious harm or even death.
Previous UN Findings
In a previous session, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that Gulshan Abbas’ detention was arbitrary. Former High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, also noted the widespread arbitrary detention of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), leading to family separations and lack of information about detained individuals.
Background on Rushan Abbas
Rushan Abbas, a US-based Uyghur human rights defender and sister of Gulshan Abbas, spoke at a public event in Washington DC on September 5, 2018, criticizing China’s human rights violations against Uyghurs. Six days later, her family lost contact with Gulshan Abbas.
Doubts Revealed
UN Experts -: UN Experts are people who work for the United Nations, an international organization that helps countries work together to solve problems and make the world a better place.
Uyghur -: Uyghurs are a group of people who mostly live in a region called Xinjiang in China. They have their own language and culture, which is different from the majority of people in China.
Gulshan Abbas -: Gulshan Abbas is a doctor from the Uyghur community who has been put in prison in China. The UN experts are worried about her situation.
Imprisonment -: Imprisonment means being put in jail or prison as a punishment for a crime. In this case, the UN experts think Gulshan Abbas was put in prison unfairly.
UN Special Rapporteurs -: UN Special Rapporteurs are special investigators who work for the United Nations. They look into important issues like human rights and report their findings.
Chinese authorities -: Chinese authorities are the people in charge of running the government in China. They make and enforce the laws in the country.
Conviction -: Conviction means being found guilty of a crime by a court. The UN experts think Gulshan Abbas was convicted without a fair trial.
Terrorism-related charges -: Terrorism-related charges are serious accusations that someone has been involved in acts of terrorism, which means using violence to scare people for political reasons.
Due process -: Due process means following fair legal procedures, like having a fair trial. The UN experts believe Gulshan Abbas did not get this fair treatment.
Retaliation -: Retaliation means taking revenge or punishing someone for something they or someone close to them did. The UN experts think Gulshan Abbas might be in prison because of her sister’s activism.
Human rights activism -: Human rights activism is when people work to protect and promote the basic rights and freedoms that everyone should have. Gulshan Abbas’ sister, Rushan Abbas, is involved in this kind of work.
Detained individuals -: Detained individuals are people who have been arrested and are being kept in jail or prison. The UN experts are worried about their safety and well-being.
Inadequate detention conditions -: Inadequate detention conditions mean that the jail or prison where someone is kept is not safe or healthy. The UN experts are concerned that Gulshan Abbas might be in such a place.
