World Uyghur Congress Asks Marco Rubio to Address Rights Issues in Uzbekistan

The World Uyghur Congress urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise the issue of Uyghur rights and transnational repression during his upcoming visit to Uzbekistan. Rubio is scheduled to travel to Uzbekistan to take part in the C5+1 Ministerial alongside a delegation of more than 200 American business executives.

According to a press release from the organisation, Rubio's visit provides a significant opportunity for Washington to ensure that growing strategic and economic ties with Central Asian nations are accompanied by respect for human rights. Central Asia serves both as a refuge for Uyghurs escaping persecution in East Turkistan and as an area where these communities face surveillance, intimidation, arbitrary detention, and forced returns to China.

The organisation noted that Uyghurs in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have long experienced pressure due to Beijing's demands for cooperation against their religious, cultural, and political activities. The WUC pointed to past efforts by former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who raised similar concerns in 2019 and 2020.

In its statement, the WUC outlined several measures for Rubio to pursue, including demanding an end to forced returns to China, confronting transnational repression, protecting refugees and asylum seekers, and integrating human rights protections into deeper US partnerships with Central Asian countries.