May 03
VOC Condemns Arbitrary Imprisonment of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Calls for Immediate Release
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation condemns the unlawful detention and imprisonment of Dr. Gulshan Abbas by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and calls for her immediate and unconditional release.
Five years ago, Dr. Abbas was abducted from her home in Ürümqi on fabricated charges of “terrorism” and “social disruption.” Her continued imprisonment serves as a grim reminder of the prolonged suffering endured by countless Uyghurs and other ethnic groups at the hands of the CCP.
As VOC research has previously exposed, the CCP is carrying out a wide-ranging campaign of mass arbitrary detention, coercive labor, birth prevention, parent-child separation, and forced labor targeting the Uyghurs. “The CCP uses [China’s] criminal justice system as a political tool to target Chinese citizens who challenge the CCP’s authority. Individuals who pursue universal human rights, particularly when they independently organize or challenge the Party’s authority are considered ‘disruptive,’ remarked VOC President Ambassador Andrew Bremberg during testimony in front of the US Congress. “Individuals considered as ‘disruptive’ have been forcibly committed to psychiatric facilities, and dissidents and human rights lawyers have been extralegally detained in ‘black jails.’”
As Dr. Gulshan Abbas’ sister Rushan Abbas writes, “for five agonizing years, my sister has endured unjust imprisonment. A mother, grandmother, and a retired physician, her only ‘crime’ is her connection to me. 5 years is too long for an innocent person to continue to suffer in prison. The calls for her release continue to grow louder and stronger to condemn this injustice she is facing. The Chinese Communist Party must release my sister immediately. Her unjust imprisonment on false accusations is a grave injustice that warrants accountability.“
Rushan Abbas is the Founder and Executive Director of Campaign For Uyghurs (CFU).
