{"id":380,"date":"2017-07-20T18:52:26","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T18:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/akademiye.org\/en\/?p=380"},"modified":"2017-10-02T11:03:31","modified_gmt":"2017-10-02T11:03:31","slug":"letter-from-hrw-to-grand-imam-ahmed-el-tayeb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/akademiye.org\/en\/?p=380","title":{"rendered":"Letter from HRW to Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayeb"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"\"<\/a>Re: Forced Return of Ethnic Uyghurs to China<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

\n
Ahmed El-Tayeb<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

Grand Imam of al-Azhar University
\n1 Youssef Abbas St.
\nNasr City, Cairo
\nEgypt<\/p>\n

Re: Feared Forced Return of Ethnic Uyghurs to China<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear Sir,<\/p>\n

We are writing to you on behalf of Human Rights Watch and the Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression to ask you to urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately cease the mass arrests of ethnic Uyghurs, many of whom are students at Al-Azhar University, and their family members. We have learned that since July 3, Egyptian authorities have rounded up at least 62 Uyghurs, seemingly at the request of the Chinese government. The authorities have not disclosed the basis for these arrests or their whereabouts and well-being, but we fear that many of them face imminent forced return to China, where they will face arbitrary detention and torture.<\/p>\n

On July 6, Egypt put at least 12 Uyghurs on a flight back to China, and 22 others were detained pending imminent deportation, according to the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>, which quoted Egyptian aviation officials. The officials told the\u00a0Times<\/em>\u00a0that police had ordered them to deport the Uyghurs without explanation.<\/p>\n

Human Rights Watch is an independent nongovernmental organization that monitors and reports on compliance with international human rights and refugee law in more than 90 countries around the world, including China and Egypt. The Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression is a group of lawyers and researchers established as an Egyptian legal entity that defends freedom of expression and enhances freedom of information, focusing on the issues of freedom of the media, freedom of creativity, students\u2019 rights, academic freedom, and digital rights.<\/p>\n

We ask that you urge the Egyptian authorities to release those who are arbitrarily detained and ensure that none are forcibly returned to China. As you know, Uyghurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims, most of whom live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China\u2019s far west, where the Chinese government, as part of ostensible counterterrorism efforts, has been repressing their right to practice their religion and enjoy many other rights freely.<\/p>\n

We note that you have spoken out strongly against the repression in Xinjiang, stating in June 2015 that you reject \u201call forms of oppression practiced against the rights of Uyghur Muslims in China, and the confiscation of their religious rights and personal freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sources told Human Rights Watch that Egyptian police arrested four Uyghur students in Cairo on July 3; raided two restaurants and one supermarket in Cairo, arresting 38 people, many of them students, on July 4; and arrested 20 more in Alexandria on July 5. Sources also said that Egyptian police have been arresting Uyghurs in their homes. There are also reports of Uyghurs being held at Cairo International Airport when they attempted to leave for Turkey, but Human Rights Watch has been unable to confirm this. Sources told Human Rights Watch that many of those arrested have valid residency permits in Egypt. At least one of those arrested is a woman. A number of Uyghurs who have not been arrested have fled their homes out of fear.<\/p>\n

It is unclear what motivated the government\u2019s mass roundup of these students and their family members. In the past few months, the Chinese government had ordered Uyghur students studying abroad, including those in Egypt, to return home. There are reports that Chinese authorities have detained family members of these students to force them to come back. On June 19, Egyptian Interior Ministry Magdy Abd al-Ghaffar and Chinese Deputy Public Security Minister Chin Zhimin met in Cairo, and Chin stressed China\u2019s eagerness to exchange information about \u201cextremist organizations.\u201d In September 2016, Egypt\u2019s Interior Ministry and China\u2019s Public Security Ministry signed a technical cooperation agreement, pledging increased efforts against terrorism and the sharing of Chinese expertise.<\/p>\n

China’s record of arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance of Uyghurs, as well as the politicized nature of judicial proceedings in past cases of forced repatriation, raise serious concerns that if deported, these individuals will be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.<\/p>\n

Under customary international law and as a party to the Convention against Torture, Egypt is obliged to ensure that no one in its custody is forcibly sent to a place where they would risk being subjected to persecution, torture, or other serious human rights violations.<\/p>\n

In recent years there have been multiple incidents of Uyghurs being forcibly returned to China in violation of international law. In August 2015,\u00a0Thailand forcibly returned 220 Uighurs to China. In December 2012,\u00a0Malaysia\u00a0deported\u00a0six Uyghur men<\/a>\u00a0back to China. In both cases, Human Rights Watch has been unable to obtain any further information from Thai, Malaysian, or Chinese government sources as to the deportees\u2019 whereabouts or well-being.<\/p>\n

Chinese authorities have a history of forcibly disappearing, harshly sentencing, or executing Uyghurs after they have been forcibly repatriated from neighboring countries. Other cases include:<\/p>\n