U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Chris Coons have released a statement on the eighth anniversary of the arbitrary detention of Ekpar Asat, a Uyghur entrepreneur who remains imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In their statement, Senators Risch and Coons expressed their concern for Ekpar Asat’s wellbeing and condemned his arbitrary detention. They called for his immediate and unconditional release, highlighting the severe impacts on his health after spending multiple years in solitary confinement in a prison camp in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Uyghur Region.
Senator Risch emphasized, “Ekpar is one of the many Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslim minorities in China subjected to appalling human rights violations at the hands of the CCP.” The senators reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to fighting against the genocide and crimes against humanity being committed against Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic groups in China.
The Chinese government’s actions against Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslim minorities have been widely criticized, with reports indicating that over one million Uyghurs have been detained since 2017. The CCP continues to pursue a brutal campaign of genocide, crimes against humanity, oppression, and arbitrary detainment in Xinjiang.
According to the senators, the regional CCP government in Xinjiang has prosecuted over half a million Uyghurs and others, while subjecting many more to intense surveillance, religious restrictions, forced labor, and forced sterilizations and abortions.
Senators Risch and Coons’ statement underscores the ongoing human rights violations in China and the urgent need for the release of individuals like Ekpar Asat, who are wrongfully detained. The United States remains committed to advocating for the internationally recognized human rights of Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic groups in China.
