World Uyghur Congress Urges Action on Transnational Repression
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise concerns regarding the growing vulnerability of Uyghurs in Central Asia to China’s transnational repression as he prepares to visit Uzbekistan next week. The organization described Rubio’s upcoming trip as a "rare opportunity" to reaffirm the US government's support for Uyghur rights across the region.
In a statement, the WUC reported that Central Asia has emerged as both a refuge for Uyghurs fleeing persecution in China’s Xinjiang region and a place where they remain vulnerable to pressure, surveillance, intimidation, arbitrary detention, and forced returns to China. The organization noted that Uyghurs living in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and other countries in Central Asia have long faced pressure because of Beijing’s demands for cooperation against Uyghur political, cultural, and religious activity.
The WUC called on Rubio to demand an end to the forced return of Uyghurs to China. The group urged Central Asian governments not to deport, extradite, or otherwise transfer Uyghurs to Chinese authorities, where they face a serious risk of persecution, arbitrary detention, torture, and other grave human rights violations.
Additionally, the WUC urged Washington to press Central Asian governments to reject Chinese requests to monitor, intimidate, detain, or silence Uyghurs over their political opinions, peaceful activism, religious practices, or contact with relatives abroad.
Historical Precedent and Diplomatic Pressure
The WUC recalled that former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly raised the Uyghur issue in 2019 during a meeting with Central Asian leaders, urging them not to deport Uyghurs to China. The organization noted that Pompeo reiterated this concern in 2020 during a visit to Kazakhstan.
By highlighting these past diplomatic efforts, the WUC emphasized the continuity of US engagement on human rights issues in the region, positioning Rubio’s current mission as part of an ongoing effort to hold regional governments accountable for their treatment of Uyghur refugees.
Strategic Timing Amidst High-Level Visits
The call for Rubio’s intervention comes shortly after the WUC called on US President Donald Trump and his administration last month to raise the issue of Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang and transnational repression of diaspora communities by Chinese authorities during President Xi Jinping’s visit to the US on September 24.
Turgunjan Alawdun, president of the World Uyghur Congress, stated that Xi’s visit to Washington is a strategic moment to move beyond words of condemnation on the Uyghur genocide. He urged Donald Trump to use the opportunity to continue proving the US is a strong ally to the Uyghur people.
Alawdun’s comments underscore the WUC’s broader strategy of leveraging high-profile diplomatic engagements to maintain international focus on the plight of Uyghurs, both within China and in diaspora communities across Central Asia and beyond.