(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/31/22) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today applauded the “unnamed” U.S. officials sanctioned by China for defending the human rights of Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic minorities suffering under the authoritarian government’s genocidal campaign of forced detention, slave labor, sexual abuse, and religious oppression.
According to media reports, China announced “sanctions on an unspecified number of US officials who ‘concocted lies’ about human rights in China.”
SEE: China sanctions US officials who ‘concocted lies’ on human rights | Al Arabiya English
China Announces Counter-Sanctions Against U.S. Officials
https://www.newsweek.com/china-sanctions-us-officials-human-rights-religion-freedom-1693744
China’s sanctions on U.S. officials come in response to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announcing this month that the U.S. would be placing visa restrictions on some Chinese officials who were responsible for repressive acts against ethnic and religious minority groups in China.
In December, China announced that it would be penalizing members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which has repeatedly condemned China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic minorities.
“CAIR applauds the U.S. officials being sanctioned by China for their defense of the human rights and religious freedom of Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic minorities facing genocide at the hands of the Chinese government,” said CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw. “These American officials are being punished for doing what is right and are owed a debt of gratitude by the American people. It’s a small price to pay for standing up for justice and leading the way in challenging genocide and oppression.”
BACKGROUNDER:
It is well documented that China carries out acts of torture, rape, forced abortions and sterilizations, mass detention, denial of religious rights, and cultural erasure targeting Uyghur Muslims.
Earlier this year, CAIR welcomed the Biden administration’s first formal United States’ recognition that the government of China is committing “genocide and crimes against humanity” against Uyghur Muslim and other Turkic minorities in the Xinjiang region.
Earlier this month, CAIR called on Amazon to cut ties with suppliers with links to forced labor in China and urged the State Department to investigate Amazon’s business activities in the Uyghur Region.
SEE: CAIR Calls on Amazon to Sever Ties with Suppliers with Links to Uyghur Forced Labor in China
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-999-8292, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]