Beijing confirmed sentencing retired Uyghur doctor to 20 years in jail after she went missing for more than two years
On December 30, 2020, family members of a retired Uyghur doctor told the U.S. government that she had been sentenced to 20 years in jail under charges related to terrorist activities in March 2019. Her sister said the sentencing of the doctor proved that no one is safe in China.
On December 31, 2020, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that a retired Uyghur doctor in Xinjiang had been sentenced to 20 years in jail in March 2019. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wanbin said during the daily press conference that Gulshan Abbas, was sentenced under the crime of “participating in a terrorist organization, aiding terrorist activities and assembling crowds to disrupt social order.”
“China is a country of rule of law, where criminals must be held accountable,” Wang said. “We urge some American politicians to respect facts, stop making lies to smear China and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of Xinjiang-related issues.”
A day before Beijing confirmed Abbas’ sentencing, her family members in the U.S. shared the information with American authorities and the public. She told a briefing organized by he bipartisan US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) that the family had learned about the sentencing of her mother.
Murat wrote in a tweet that sharing the news about her mother’s sentencing is difficult and horrific, but seeing the love and support from her supporters is also empowering her. “Please continue stand with us,” Murat wrote.
On the same day that Beijing confirmed the sentencing of Abbas, Robert Destro, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour also wrote on Twitter that she must be released.
“Her forcible disappearance, detainment and harsh sentencing by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is evidence of a family suffering the consequences of speaking out against a government that has no respect for human rights,” Destro wrote.
“In China, no one is safe”
After Beijing confirmed her sister’s sentencing, Rushan Abbas, the Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs and the younger sister of Gulshan Abbas, said it’s devastating to hear the charges given to her sister, because it means that the Chinese government is “unrepentant” about its actions. “Beijing conveniently accused many Uyghurs of terrorism in secret trials without any evidence,” Abbas said.
According to Abbas, China’s state-run tabloid Global Times accused her of stealing some Uyghurs’ photos and information and claimed that those were her missing relatives in Xinjiang. “The information we have now is that my sister was sentenced in March of 2019, so at the time of the article, they had already given her the sentence,” said Abbas. “These charges are an example of what the Chinese regime does to try to silence Uyghurs.”
Abbas described her sister as an apolitical person, but her trust in the Chinese government didn’t end up protecting her from being persecuted. “My sister is mild-mannered, selfless, kind, and gentle,” said Abbas. “She is always looking out for others, so her career as a medical doctor was a great fit for her. She retired early due to her delicate health, which brings us additional agony as we imagine how she may be suffering now in Xinjiang.”
Abbas said her sister’s case proves that a quiet, law-abiding Chinese citizen who had worked at a state-run hospital for decades, is still not safe to live a normal life as a Uyghur. “The absurdity of my sister’s sentencing for 20-years on terrorism-related charges is clear evidence of this genocide,” Abbas said.
Abbas said she will keep pleading to the incoming Biden administration and international allies to “take realistic and decisive actions” to address the threat that the Chinese government poses to all humanity. “My message to the international community is this: history’s worst mistakes are being repeated. If my sister can be targeted, no one is safe,” Abbas said.
