The present and the previous U.S administrations have many times condemned China’s persecution of Uyghurs and declared the country’s treatment of Uyghurs a genocide. Nevertheless, the U.S has not admitted any Uyghur refugees in the past two years. Recently the administration designated Uyghurs a priority group for asylum. Many Uyghurs have fled China for the U.S. In some cases, they have to wait for several years before receiving asylum.
In recent years China has been pressuring other countries to extradite Uyghurs who have escaped China. In 2015, Thailand returned about 100 Uyghurs to China, and in 2017, Egypt returned over twenty Uyghur students.
Granting asylum alone is not enough to prevent the Uyghur genocide. The world leaders need to take a stronger stand against China’s repressive policies on Uyghurs.
By Anne Kader
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