E.D. of @CUyghurs | Chair of the WUC E.C. | Sister of a retired Dr. unjustly detained by China since 2018 as the CCP's TNR against an Uyghur American
Washington DC
Joined May 2013
- Tweets23K
- Following1.4K
- Followers25.2K
- Likes22.1K
Pinned Tweet
Seven years is too long. Not one more day. #FreeGulshanAbbas
Rushan Abbas retweeted
【维吾尔人运动】 @CUyghurs 纪念东突厥斯坦国庆日，谴责中国持续镇压
美国维吾尔运动组织（CFU）11 月 12 日发表声明，纪念 1933 年喀什东突厥斯坦伊斯兰共和国和 1944 年伊犁东突厥斯坦共和国成立，
创始人@RushanAbbas 鲁珊·阿巴斯表示这体现了维吾尔人民持久的身份认同与自由意志，同时谴责中共持续的种族灭绝、强迫劳动与跨国镇压。
The thought of five Uyghurs being forcibly sent back to China, where they would face imprisonment, torture, and persecution at the hands of the CCP, is heartbreaking.
I welcome the UN experts' urgent warning and urge Thailand to protect these five individuals. Thailand has already forcibly returned Uyghurs to China, and we cannot allow this to happen again. I hope the UN does all it can to ensure this deportation does not take place and will not arise again in the future.
Thailand needs to uphold its international obligations and ensure these Uyghurs receive the protection they need and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety.
#Thailand must not return five Uyghurs to China against their will: UN experts warn of risk of serious & irreparable harm if returned. “International law guarantees the right of every person to leave their own country.”
ohchr.org/en/press-releases/…
Commemorating East Turkistan National Day in Berlin at an event organized by @UyghurCongress and @UZDM_eV—honoring our history, preserving our identity, and reaffirming our unwavering commitment to freedom.
Rushan Abbas retweeted
East Turkistan National Day is a reminder that the Uyghur people's struggle for freedom did not begin with the CCP's current campaign of repression. Our history, identity, and aspirations for self-determination have endured despite decades of Beijing's efforts to erase them.
In our latest press release, CFU calls on governments to move beyond statements of concern and take concrete steps to challenge China's genocide, forced labor, and persecution of Uyghurs.
The Uyghur people deserve more than words of solidarity. They deserve meaningful action.
Read our statement:
campaignforuyghurs.org/cfu-c…
Yesterday's CFU panel, “The Hidden Global Reach of Beijing’s State-Imposed Forced Labor,” at Berlin Freedom Week was a great success, bringing together experts to address the CCP's exploitation of Uyghurs and the need for stronger international action.
My sincere thanks to our keynote speaker, veteran Uyghur leader Erkin Alptekin, for his opening remarks, our moderator, Gheyyur Kurban, and fellow panelists Dr. Rune Steenberg and @nyrola for sharing their expertise and perspectives. I am grateful to everyone who joined, asked questions, and contributed to this important conversation.
Uyghur forced labor is not just a problem confined to East Turkistan. We need to continue pushing governments and corporations to take meaningful action, strengthen enforcement, and ensure that supply chains are not built on the suffering and exploitation of the Uyghur people.
Today Campaign for Uyghurs successfully hosted the panel, “The Hidden Global Reach of Beijing’s State-Imposed Forced Labor” during Berlin Freedom Week"
Our discussion examined the CCP's state-imposed forced labor system which exploits Uyghurs, its connections to global supply chains, and the responsibility of governments, corporations and all of us to prevent complicity in these abuses.
We are especially grateful to our keynote speaker, prominent Uyghur leader and a pioneering figure in the global movement advocating for the rights and freedom of the Uyghurs, Erkin Alptekin, for his opening remarks, our moderator, Gheyyur Kurban, and panelists @RushanAbbas, Dr. Rune Steenberg, and @nyrola for sharing their knowledge and perspectives on this important issue.
Our sincerest thanks to everyone who attended, asked questions, and contributed to the discussion. Your engagement and solidarity are essential as we work to expose forced labor, strengthen international accountability, and defend the rights of the Uyghur people.
Rushan Abbas retweeted
Rahile Omer, the youngest detainee photographed in the Xinjiang Police Files, has died in a Chinese prison at 23.
RFA Uyghur Service reports that officials in Konasheher County, Kashgar, had confirmed by phone that she died one to two months earlier.
Her case is documented in my 2022 study of the Xinjiang Police Files. She was the youngest of the 2,884 photographed persons confirmed as detained.
Xinjiang’s mass surveillance platform flagged her as a “Type 12 person,” meaning someone connected to an existing police case. Both of her parents had been detained on July 3, 2017. Her father was a government official. The records note that she was first spared because she was “14 years old, a non-adult student.” Police detained her on September 28, less than three months after her parents.
RFA has now reported what followed. A judicial official said that in 2019 she was moved from the camp to a detention center because the “education” had not taken effect, she had given no information about others in her case, and she had prayed through gestures in her dormitory. In October 2021, after she turned 18, she was sentenced to 12 years in prison. An officer said she died of a heart condition but gave no further details. These statements cannot be independently verified.
Rahile spent more than a third of her life in custody because of her family. Beijing should release her medical and prison records and disclose what has happened to her parents.
Report links below.
Rushan Abbas retweeted
Today Campaign for Uyghurs successfully hosted the panel, “The Hidden Global Reach of Beijing’s State-Imposed Forced Labor” during Berlin Freedom Week"
Our discussion examined the CCP's state-imposed forced labor system which exploits Uyghurs, its connections to global supply chains, and the responsibility of governments, corporations and all of us to prevent complicity in these abuses.
We are especially grateful to our keynote speaker, prominent Uyghur leader and a pioneering figure in the global movement advocating for the rights and freedom of the Uyghurs, Erkin Alptekin, for his opening remarks, our moderator, Gheyyur Kurban, and panelists @RushanAbbas, Dr. Rune Steenberg, and @nyrola for sharing their knowledge and perspectives on this important issue.
Our sincerest thanks to everyone who attended, asked questions, and contributed to the discussion. Your engagement and solidarity are essential as we work to expose forced labor, strengthen international accountability, and defend the rights of the Uyghur people.
It was an honor to stand alongside so many courageous women at the German Bundestag during the Award for Courage ceremony honoring Dr. Rahile Dawut, as part of the Freedom and Security Women Summit during Berlin Freedom Week.
Dr. Dawut dedicated her life to preserving Uyghur history, culture, and traditions, yet the CCP sentenced her to life in prison. Accepting the award on her behalf was deeply personal. My own sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, remains unjustly imprisoned in China, and I know the pain of families who spend years waiting to hear their loved ones' voices again.
During the ceremony, I had the privilege of sharing a message from Dr. Dawut's daughter, Akida Pulat, who has not spoken to her mother since 2017. Her words remind us of the pain felt around the world by the persecution done by authoritarians like the CCP.
I was grateful to be joined by German Bundestag President @JuliaKloeckner and French National Assembly President @YaelBRAUNPIVET, who delivered a joint address, as well as @Evelyn_Zupke, Federal Parliamentary Commissioner for the Victims of the SED Dictatorship; Belarusian democratic leader @Tsihanouskaya; Antje Schippmann, Managing Director of the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation; and @AlinejadMasih, Iranian Journalist & Activist.
Standing alongside these women who have dedicated their lives to defending freedom and democracy gives me hope.
Around the world, our struggles are deeply connected, and so is our determination to confront authoritarian repression and immediate release of Dr. Rahile Dawut, my sister Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and all those unjustly imprisoned under authoritarian rule.
Rushan Abbas retweeted
This @washingtonpost op-ed is right. As shocking as the recent Nvidia news is, it’s likely only the tip of the iceberg. China is willing to do anything they can to obtain advanced chips, and these scandals will keep on happening unless Congress passes common-sense export control legislation supposed by both sides of the aisle. washingtonpost.com/opinions/…
Rushan Abbas retweeted
CCP Committee Chairman @RepMoolenaar says that @codepink is funded by dark money linked to China and Congress is investigating.
“The group that has come out most strongly against the CCP Committee, urging Hakeem Jeffries not to reauthorize it, is Code Pink.”
@VoCommunism
Rushan Abbas retweeted
Yesterday, at the Women’s Summit held in the German Bundestag in Berlin, CFU Executive Director @RushanAbbas joined a panel on “Women’s Rights as a Security Factor in Foreign and Security Policy,” addressing the CCP’s systematic persecution of Uyghur women and its implications for international security.
The panel followed that of @HNeumannMEP , Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA), who addressed the importance of women's rights in foreign and security policy.
Rushan spoke about the issues facing Uyghur women, forced sterilization, family separation, and the imprisonment of the innocent, including her own sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, who remains unjustly detained in China.
The discussion brought together panelists @RoyaMahboob, @WittesNDI, and @ShukriyaBradost, moderated by @annemcelvoy, to examine why protecting women's rights must be a priority in foreign and security policy.
Governments must confront the persecution of women by authoritarian regimes and ensure that women's rights are central to international security discussions.
Today, @AHakimIdris, and I had the pleasure of visiting the Yunus Emre Institute in Berlin and presenting a copy of my book, Unbroken, to their library.
My sincere thanks to @yeeberlinTR for the warm welcome. I hope my memoir Unbroken will help more people understand what Uyghurs are enduring and why our voices must continue to be heard.
Rushan Abbas retweeted
Join Campaign for Uyghurs tomorrow, November 11, at 11:00 AM for our panel at Berlin Freedom Week, “The Hidden Global Reach of Beijing’s State-Imposed Forced Labor.”
The discussion will examine how the CCP's forced labor policies exploit Uyghurs in East Turkistan, how these abuses are connected to global supply chains, and what governments and companies can do to prevent complicity.
Featuring our keynote speaker Erkin Alptekin, moderator Gheyyur Kurban of @UyghurCongress, and panelists CFU Exec. Director @RushanAbbas, @nyrola and Dr. Rune Steenberg.
We encourage everyone in Berlin to join us for this important discussion.
Register to attend using the QR code on the flyer or link below
Link: docs.google.com/forms/u/2/d/…
It was an immense privilege to accept the 2026 Award for Courage on behalf of imprisoned Uyghur scholar Dr. Rahile Dawut at the German Bundestag, presented by the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation and its Executive Director, Antje Schippmann.
The powerful and deeply moving remarks by Evelyn Zupke @Evelyn_Zupke, Parliamentary Commissioner for Victims of the SED Dictatorship, and former Congressman and @NED Board Chairman @PeterRoskam were among the ceremony's most memorable moments. Their principled voices honoring Dr. Dawut's courage and sacrifice reminded us that the defense of human dignity and freedom transcends borders.
Dr. Dawut devoted her life to preserving Uyghur history, culture, and traditions. For safeguarding our people's identity, the CCP sentenced her to life imprisonment.
I am deeply grateful to prominent Uyghur leader Erkin Alptekin, @AHakimIdris, @nyrola, Gheyyur Qurban, and Anwar Ahmad from @UyghurCongress for standing alongside me in solidarity with Dr. Rahile Dawut and her family.
This award sends a powerful message: Dr. Dawut is not forgotten, Uyghur identity cannot be erased, and the CCP cannot silence our pursuit of justice.
As someone whose beloved sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, has been unjustly imprisoned for more than eight years, I know the anguish of families waiting for their loved ones. Behind every imprisoned Uyghur is a family that refuses to surrender hope.
Recognition must inspire action, and solidarity must become sustained international pressure until Dr. Rahile Dawut, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and all unjustly imprisoned Uyghurs are free.
My heartfelt thanks to the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation for honoring Dr. Dawut's courage and standing firmly for freedom, justice, and human dignity.
Rushan Abbas retweeted
This is getting worse
SCOOP: We find out how long Alice Huang has known Jensen Huang, and identified her real company, Shanghai Century Litong, which enabled at least $7.5B Nvidia chips sales to China since 2023, bigger than previously reported. via @theinformation $NVDA
Rushan Abbas retweeted
We remember Rahile Omer, whose life was tragically taken in Chinese detention.
Her story must not be forgotten. We call for justice, accountability, and an end to the persecution of Uyghurs.
Rushan Abbas retweeted
Rahile Dawut wurde 2018 in China zu lebenslanger Haft verurteilt. Die Axel Springer Freedom Foundation zeichnet die Ethnologin für ihren Einsatz für den Erhalt der uigurischen Kultur aus und fordert ihre Freilassung.
welt.de/politik/deutschland/…
Rushan Abbas retweeted
I encourage those in Berlin to join us at @BerlinFreedomWeek on November 11 for CFU's panel discussion on the CCP's state-imposed forced labor of Uyghurs.
Forced labor is not just a human rights crisis. It is deeply embedded in global supply chains, affecting businesses and consumers far beyond China's borders.
Join us to learn more about these abuses and why stronger international action is urgently needed.
I hope to see you there!
Join Campaign for Uyghurs at @BerlinFreedomWeek on Wednesday, November 11, from 11:00-12:00 PM for our panel, “The Hidden Global Reach of Beijing’s State-Imposed Forced Labor.”
Hear from Uyghur advocates and experts as they expose how the CCP's forced labor policies extend into global supply chains and discuss the urgent need for international action and accountability.
We encourage everyone who is able to register, attend, and be part of this important conversation!
When- November 11, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Where- Berlin, Germany
How-Scan the QR code on the flyer or use the link below to sign up!
Link here:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…
Rushan Abbas retweeted
.@RushanAbbas to Speak at Deutsche Islam Akademie in Berlin: On November 8, CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas will deliver a lecture on the CCP’s persecution of Uyghurs, including mass detention, forced labor, and cultural repression, while sharing the story of her sister Gulshan Abbas, who is imprisoned by the CCP.
