Seven years after her enforced disappearance, Campaign for Uyghurs urges the Chinese government to release Dr. Gulshan Abbas, highlighting ongoing transnational repression against Uyghurs in East Turkistan.
Washington, D.C. – On September 10, 2025, the Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) marked the seventh anniversary of the enforced disappearance and unjust imprisonment of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, sister of CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas and Dr. Rishat Abbas, President of Uyghur Academy International. Her case underscores the Chinese regime’s use of kin punishment and transnational repression against Uyghurs amidst the ongoing genocide in East Turkistan.
Dr. Gulshan Abbas was detained just days after her sister, Rushan Abbas, spoke publicly at a Hudson Institute panel in September 2018 about the Chinese government’s persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Her family remained unaware of her whereabouts until December 2020, when authorities revealed that Dr. Abbas had been secretly sentenced to 20 years in prison on baseless “terrorism” charges. Entering her seventh year in prison, Dr. Abbas faces serious health risks, including high blood pressure, and has been denied proper medical care and contact with her family. CFU emphasizes that her imprisonment is both retaliation against her siblings’ advocacy and a violation of international law.
To date, policymakers, faith leaders, students, and activists across more than 40 countries have called for her release. In 2024, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor urged Beijing to provide information regarding Dr. Abbas’s status and called for transparency in the treatment of other imprisoned individuals. That same year, the European Parliament passed a landmark resolution on unjustly imprisoned Uyghurs, specifically naming Dr. Gulshan Abbas and demanding her immediate release.
Rushan Abbas, CFU Executive Director, stated: “My sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, has now spent seven years in a Chinese prison for no reason other than being related to me and my advocacy for Uyghur rights. She is a retired doctor, a mother, and a gentle soul who dedicated her life to caring for others. Instead of living peacefully with her children and grandchildren, she has been unjustly imprisoned and denied medical care, in blatant violation of international law and humanitarian principles.”
CFU is calling on governments, human rights organizations, and the international community to demand the immediate release of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, as well as every Uyghur unjustly imprisoned under Beijing’s repressive policies. The organization stresses that her case highlights the cruelty of collective punishment in East Turkistan and underscores the urgent need for accountability. Supporters are encouraged to share her story, amplify calls for justice using the hashtag #FreeGulshanAbbas, and stand united against the ongoing genocide of the Uyghur people.
Dr. Abbas’s case serves as a stark reminder of the Chinese government’s systematic suppression of Uyghurs, not only within East Turkistan but across borders, targeting families of human rights defenders worldwide. CFU and international partners continue to monitor the situation, coordinating campaigns and advocacy to ensure global attention remains on her plight.
