The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the dropping of a deportation order for Heng Guan, a Chinese citizen who documented the Chinese government’s Uyghur concentration camps.
Earlier this month, CAIR called for his release from ICE custody.
Guan, who fled China after gathering evidence of human-rights violations against the nation’s Uyghur population, is reportedly at risk of being returned to the country after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
SEE: ICE Holding Chinese Man Who Documented Uyghur Camps – WSJ
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“We welcome the decision to drop the deportation order against Mr. Guan and commend those who spoke out to protect him from being returned to China, where he could face severe retaliation for exposing human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. Whistleblowers and human rights documentarians should be protected, not punished. The United States must uphold human rights for all and protect individuals in our nation who exposed our survived genocide, whether in China or Sudan or Palestine.”
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com