CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2026, 10:00 AM EST
Contact: contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
https://campaignforuyghurs.org/
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As President Trump continues his summit with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Secretary Xi Jinping in Beijing this week, both the House and the Senate have acted with strong bipartisan consensus in support of political prisoners held by the CCP. The Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan Senate resolution S.Res.677, introduced by Senators Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Ted Cruz, Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. This coincides with the unanimous passage of H.Res.1259, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) and the Congressional Uyghur Caucus. Both resolutions urge President Trump to prioritize the release of political prisoners, including Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, and Jimmy Lai.
CFU extends its deep gratitude to Senators Durbin, Cruz, and Rep. Smith for their leadership on this critical issue, and to the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers who have refused to let these cases be buried beneath trade negotiations. The unanimous passage of resolutions in both chambers is a clear institutional affirmation that China’s human rights abuses cannot be ignored and must be addressed with urgency and sustained accountability.
Dr. Rishat Abbas, Senior Advisor to the World Uyghur Congress, President of the Uyghur Academy, and senior scientist, welcomed the congressional action, saying: “We extend our deep gratitude to members of both the Senate and House of Representatives for their leadership and moral clarity. When Congress speaks with one voice on human rights, it sends a powerful message to Beijing that the freedom of innocent people cannot be sacrificed for economic convenience. My sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, has been unjustly imprisoned for nearly 3,000 days, and the passage of these resolutions gives us renewed hope and reinforces our resolve that justice and her eventual release are possible.” He added, “Congress has done its part. President Trump must make clear to Xi Jinping that the release of Gulshan and all those named in these resolutions, along with countless other innocent victims of injustice, are non-negotiable American priorities.”
Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a retired medical doctor and grandmother, was forcibly disappeared in September 2018, just days after CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas spoke publicly at the Hudson Institute about the CCP’s persecution of Uyghurs. She was sentenced in secret proceedings on sham charges and now enters her eighth year of imprisonment, suffering from severe medical conditions. Pastor Jin Mingri has been held without diabetes medication or family contact since October 2025. Pastor Gao Quanfu‘s wife, Pang Yu, has been denied critical prescription medication since her detention in June 2025. Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in February 2026 on national security charges widely condemned as politically motivated. A CECC letter to President Trump issued by CECC Chairs Senator Dan Sullivan and Rep. Chris Smith also highlights Uyghur prisoners Ekpar Asat, Ilham Tohti, and Renagul Gheni as individuals whose cases warrant urgent attention.
CFU calls on President Trump to raise the cases of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu, Pang Yu, Jimmy Lai, and all wrongfully detained individuals directly and publicly with Xi Jinping at this week’s summit. Doing so would send a clear message that the United States will not remain silent in the face of arbitrary detention, and that accountability for human rights abuses remains central to any engagement with the Chinese government.
