Uyghurs imprisoned 'arbitrarily' in Saudi Arabia fear deportation to China, says report

The two Uyghur Muslims jailed in Saudi Arabia since 2020 fear that they might be sent back to China. As per the reports of VOA, Human Rights Watch's (HRW) the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) Division deputy director Adam Coogle stated that the organisation has urged Saudi Arabia to stop the repatriation of two Uyghur men "arbitrarily" imprisoned in the nation. He said that if Saudi Arabia deports these guys, it will very certainly be at China's request.

Coogle mentioned that Saudi Arabia has no asylum system, and these Uyghur men have no legal recourse. The authorities stressed that Saudi Arabia had often violated the human rights principle of non-refoulement, which states that governments should not return refugees to places where they suffer a well-founded fear of persecution or torture. The two have been incarcerated in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah prison, al-Dhahban, since November 2020.

Detained at the request of the Chinese embassy

Some Uyghurs suspect that one of the Uyghur named Hemdullah Abduweli, who is 53 years old was detained at the request of the Chinese embassy in Saudi Arabia, according to VOA. Abduweli's daughter Nuriman Hemdullah, who lives in Istanbul claims that it happened after Abduweli opposed China's oppression of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region. Nuriman also said that on February 3, 2020, her father travelled to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, a Muslim pilgrimage. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, borders were closed as he ended and he was forced to stay there.

Abduweli Ayup, who is a human rights activist and the founder of Uyghur Hjelp, a human rights organisation located in Norway stated that the two Uyghur men were informed by Saudi officials in January 3 to be mentally prepared to be transferred back to China, VOA reported. Ayup claims that five Uyghur males have been deported to China from Saudi Arabia since 2017.

Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs as genocide

Human rights organisations have labelled Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs as genocide and crimes against humanity. Many countries have also condemned Beijing's treatment of the Uyghurs. They accuse Beijing of incarcerating over a million Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, China.

(Inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)