A Uighur student has been missing in Hong Kong for more than two weeks since he sent a message saying he was being questioned by Chinese police at the city’s airport, a human rights group said on Friday.
Amnesty International said Abuduwaili Abudureheman, who was born in Xinjiang in western China, traveled from South Korea to Hong Kong to visit a friend on May 10, but has not heard back since he texted his friend about being interrogated. after your arrival.
“The unknown fate of Abuduwaili Abudureheman is deeply concerning given the history of crimes against humanity committed against Uighurs by the Chinese government in Xinjiang and its continued persecution of Uighurs who have traveled abroad,” said Alkan Akad, Amnesty International Research Fellow at China, in a statement. .
He said the student appears to have been detained and questioned, and this has raised questions about the Hong Kong government’s possible involvement in human rights violations committed against Uighurs by the Chinese government.
The Hong Kong government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
HONG KONG NEWSPAPER WILL STOP PUBLISHING POLITICAL CARTOON WORK AFTER ANTI-GOVERNMENT DRAWINGS
A human rights group said a Uighur student disappeared in Hong Kong after sending a text message saying he was being questioned by police at the airport. (Fox News)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with a promise to retain its Western-style freedoms and autonomy for 50 years. But critics say Beijing is tightening its grip on the territory and reducing its freedoms.
The United Nations and human rights groups accuse China of detaining a million or more Uighurs and members of other predominantly Muslim groups in camps where many say they were tortured, sexually assaulted and forced to abandon their language and religion.
China denies the allegations, based on interviews with survivors and photos and satellite images of the Xinjiang region, where many Uighurs live.
Amnesty International said it understood Abuduwaili Abudureheman was on a “watch list” by the Chinese government because of his overseas travel history and had asked Hong Kong authorities to reveal his whereabouts.
“(He) is at grave risk of torture on the basis of his ethnicity and religion. If detained, he must have access to a lawyer and relatives and must be protected from any ill-treatment,” Akad said.
