CFU Press Release
For Immediate Release
June 12, 2021 6:00 p.m. EDT
Contact: Contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
www.campaignforuyghurs.org
Today marks the birthday of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and the third birthday that she has spent in the CCP’s unjust detention. This bittersweet day follows the Senate Foreign Relations joint hearing “Atrocities in Xinjiang: Where Do We Go From Here?”, at which Campaign For Uyghurs (CFU) Executive Director Rushan Abbas testified regarding the retaliatory nature of her sister’s sentencing.
Ziba Murat, daughter of Dr. Gulshan Abbas who has been valiantly pushing for her release, stated on the occasion that “the pain of spending her birthday for the third time wondering if she is alive, wondering if she is being given food to eat or her health cared for, is tortuous. Our family has spent every moment of the past 33 months agonizing over her. I hope she can sense somehow that we will never give up until she is with us again.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a social media post: “Today is Gulshan Abbas’s 59th birthday, the third one she has spent unjustly imprisoned in Xinjiang. Her loved ones deserve the opportunity to celebrate with her, and she should be reunited with her family.”
Senator Marco Rubio posted: “Today is Dr. Gulshan Abbas’ third birthday in a Xinjiang camp for no other reason than being Uyghur. We must never forget her face and continue to press for her freedom & for the CCP.”
Dr. Rishat Abbas, brother of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, stated that “Our family will never give up fighting for our innocent, law-abiding sister’s release. We are holding onto hope that our sister can sense in her soul the depth of our love for her, and that she will hold onto hope.”
Rushan Abbas remarked during her testimony at Thursday’s hearing that “Words cannot express how painful it is for me to watch (my niece) struggles to raise her own 3 year old daughter while dealing with the immense pain and trauma of having her mother held hostage.”
No family deserves this pain and suffering at the hands of a brutal, barbaric regime. Campaign For Uyghurs stands with Dr. Gulshan Abbas’ family today as they demand the release of Dr. Gulshan Abbas. To join in the social media campaign to spotlight her on her birthday, please see here.
