CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT
Contact: contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
https://campaignforuyghurs.org/
Campaign for Uyghurs Marks Dr. Gulshan Abbas’s 64th Birthday
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Dr. Gulshan Abbas turns 64 years old. Instead of celebrating with her loved ones, she marks her eighth consecutive birthday in unjust imprisonment at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Her case stands as one of the clearest examples of the CCP’s use of kin punishment and transnational repression, targeting the family members of human rights advocates in an attempt to silence criticism and suppress the truth about the ongoing Uyghur genocide.
In September 2018, just a few days after her sister, Rushan Abbas, an American citizen, spoke out against China’s oppression of Uyghurs at a panel in the Hudson Institute, Dr. Gulshan Abbas was abducted by Chinese authorities. Her family had no knowledge of her whereabouts until December 2020, when authorities confessed that Dr. Abbas had been secretly sentenced on baseless charges. Today, she spent her eighth consecutive birthday in illegal incarceration. Concerns grow about her health conditions, as she suffers from serious medical conditions, including high blood pressure.
In 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that the CCP’s detention of Dr. Gulshan Abbas was arbitrary and violated international law. That same year, a bipartisan amendment championed by Senator Dick Durbin was unanimously adopted, calling for visa restrictions on Chinese officials implicated in her disappearance. In early May, both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate acted with strong bipartisan support to urge President Trump to prioritize the release of political prisoners, including Dr. Abbas. Most recently, on June 9, Canadian Senator Leo Housakos tabled a motion calling on Canada to demand her immediate release.
In addition, policymakers, faith leaders, students, and activists in more than 40 countries have called for the release of Dr. Gulshan Abbas.
“Today, my sister Gulshan turns 64, spending her eighth consecutive birthday suffering for no crime of her own. She should be with her family, receiving the care she needs; instead, she is being held hostage due to kin punishment in response to our advocacy in the United States,” said Dr. Rishat Abbas, Senior Advisor to the World Uyghur Congress, President of Uyghur Academy International, and a senior scientist. “The CCP wants us to believe it can crush dissent when confronted with its atrocities. But we know that truth has power, and no prison cell can silence the demand for justice. On my sister’s birthday, I ask people around the world to stand with her and all those unjustly imprisoned by raising their voices on her behalf.”
CFU calls on governments, human rights organizations, and the international community to demand the immediate release of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, along with all Uyghurs unjustly imprisoned under Beijing’s repression. Today, we ask supporters to share her story on social media using #FreeGulshanAbbas and urge governments to take concrete action for her release.
