Rushan Abbas Denounces China's Attempt to Redefine Human Rights

Rushan Abbas has criticized China's 'Human Rights Forum,' accusing Beijing of performing severe abuses against Uyghurs while trying to reshape global human rights norms. Abbas underscores a UN report alleging crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and warns against legitimizing China's oversight of human rights definitions.

Rushan Abbas, Chairwoman of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) Executive Committee, has sharply criticized the Chinese government for hosting a 'so-called Human Rights Forum' amidst alleged severe rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic groups. In a statement on X, Abbas expressed profound concern over China's efforts to reshape international human rights standards to align with its authoritarian system.

Referring to the 2022 assessment by the UN Human Rights Office on Xinjiang, Abbas highlighted documented allegations including arbitrary mass detention, torture, sexual violence, forced sterilization, religious persecution, and cultural suppression. The UN report suggests that such acts could constitute crimes against humanity, especially the discriminatory detention of Uyghurs. Abbas emphasized that China, accused of these serious violations, now aims to redefine human rights across the globe.

Abbas also highlighted her family's personal plight with her sister, Gulshan Abbas, vanished and condemned to prison in apparent retaliation for her activism in the US. She called this an example of China's cross-border repression and urged international bodies not to legitimize China's human rights narrative, insisting that true human rights belong to victims, not their oppressors.