Gross Violation of International Law: Morocco Extradition of Uighur Muslim Activist
December 17th, 2021
Justice For All Canada is raising the alarm over the Moroccan government’s extradition of an Uighur Muslim asylum seeker to China.
As precedent has demonstrated, if he is sent back to China, Yidiresi Aishan will likely face severe human rights violations as an Uighur human rights defender, including detention, degrading treatment or punishment and enforced disappearance.
Extraditing Aishan to China is an example of the Chinese government’s usual transnational repression of Uighurs who have spoken out against the government’s mass atrocities against members of this religious and ethnic minority.
Under international human rights law relating to refugee rights, no country should “expel, return or remove any individual from its territory whenever there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be in danger of being subjected to torture in the State of destination, including consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights.”
“Aishan is an asylum seeker. It seems here that his extradition is happening without assessing the obvious risks to his life. Morocco should protect Aishan’s life and shield him from such a forced return as a refugee. We need to see more Muslim-majority governments standing up for the rights of persecuted Uighurs,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director.
Canadian activists have long advocated against China’s national and global assault of Uighur leadership. Those like Aishan are targeted in East Turkestan, China, and worldwide for challenging genocide tactics, including forced labour, population control measures, gender-based violence, internment detention, physical abuse, brainwashing and cultural erasure.
Our campaigners are calling for Morocco to abide by non-refoulement in international law: not forcing refugees or asylum seekers to return to a country where they are liable to be subjected to persecution.
Take Action
Justice For All Canada is raising the alarm over the Moroccan government’s extradition of an Uighur Muslim asylum seeker to China.
As precedent has demonstrated, if he is sent back to China, Yidiresi Aishan will likely face severe human rights violations as an Uighur human rights defender, including detention, degrading treatment or punishment and enforced disappearance.
Extraditing Aishan to China is an example of the Chinese government’s usual transnational repression of Uighurs who have spoken out against the government’s mass atrocities against members of this religious and ethnic minority.
Under international human rights law relating to refugee rights, no country should “expel, return or remove any individual from its territory whenever there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be in danger of being subjected to torture in the State of destination, including consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights.”
“Aishan is an asylum seeker. It seems here that his extradition is happening without assessing the obvious risks to his life. Morocco should protect Aishan’s life and shield him from such a forced return as a refugee. We need to see more Muslim-majority governments standing up for the rights of persecuted Uighurs,” said Taha Ghayyur, Executive Director.
Canadian activists have long advocated against China’s national and global assault of Uighur leadership. Those like Aishan are targeted in East Turkestan, China, and worldwide for challenging genocide tactics, including forced labour, population control measures, gender-based violence, internment detention, physical abuse, brainwashing and cultural erasure.
Our campaigners are calling for Morocco to abide by non-refoulement in international law: not forcing refugees or asylum seekers to return to a country where they are liable to be subjected to persecution.
Take Action
- Tell Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Federal Cabinet Ministers to take substantial steps against the Uighur Muslim genocide https://www.justiceforallcanada.org/letter4uyghurs.html
- Send a tweet: The Government of Canada must commit to the resettlement of Uyghur refugees under the Responsibility to Protection (#R2P) Doctrine to the Geneva Convention https://www.justiceforallcanada.org/tweet4uyghurs.html