WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), as well as U.S. Representatives Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), in releasing the following statement ahead of the six-year anniversary of Dr. Dr. Gulshan Abbas’ unjust imprisonment. Dr. Abbas is the sister of staunch international Uyghur advocate Rushan Abbas.
“Dr. Gulshan Abbas has suffered more than six years of cruel and unjust imprisonment at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party solely because of the tireless political advocacy led by her sister, who is a U.S. citizen. Leaders and human rights organizations worldwide have repeatedly called for her release. No human being should be jailed by a foreign government for the perceived crimes of a family member. We reaffirm the call for the immediate release of Dr. Abbas.”
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