Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20210817

A30 world news
Diamars 17 augustus 2021

Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs

ticular were being extradited Dubai also has a history as
or returned to China, which a place where Uyghurs are
has been detaining the most- interrogated and deported
ly Muslim minority on sus- back to China. And activ-
picion of terrorism even for ists say Dubai itself has been
relatively harmless acts like linked to secret interroga-
praying. The Uyghur Hu- tions involving other coun-
man Rights Project tracked tries. Radha Stirling, a legal
89 Uyghurs detained or de- advocate who founded the
ported from nine countries advocacy group Detained in
from 1997 to 2007 through Dubai, said she has worked
public reports. That number with about a dozen people
steadily increased to reach who have reported being held
1,327 from 20 countries from in villas in the UAE, includ-
2014 until now, the group ing citizens of Canada, India
found. and Jordan but not China.

Wu and her fiancé, 19-year- “There is no doubt that the
old Wang Jingyu, are not Uy- UAE has detained people
ghur but rather Han Chinese, on behalf of foreign govern-
the majority ethnicity in Chi- ments with whom they are
na. Wang is wanted by China allied,” Stirling said. “I don’t
because he posted messages think they would at all shrug
questioning Chinese media their shoulders to a request
(AP) - A young Chinese evidence including stamps coverage of the Hong Kong from such a powerful ally.”
woman says she was held in her passport, a phone re- Yu-Jie Chen, an assistant protests in 2019 and China’s
for eight days at a Chi- cording of a Chinese official professor at Taiwan’s Aca- actions in a border clash with However, Patrick Theros, a
nese-run secret detention asking her questions and text demia Sinica, said she had India. former U.S. ambassador to
facility in Dubai along messages that she sent from not heard of a Chinese se- Qatar who is now strategic
with at least two Uyghurs, jail to a pastor helping the cret jail in Dubai, and such Along with Uyghurs, China advisor to the Gulf Interna-
in what may be the first couple. a facility in another country has been cracking down on tional Forum, called the alle-
evidence that China is op- would be unusual. However, perceived dissidents and hu- gations “totally out of charac-
erating a so-called “black China’s Foreign Ministry de- she also noted that it would man rights activists, and has ter” for the Emiratis.
site” beyond its borders. nied her story. “What I can be in keeping with China’s launched a massive effort to
tell you is that the situation attempts to do all it can to get back suspect officials as “They don’t allow allies free-
The woman, 26-year-old the person talked about is not bring select citizens back, part of a national anti-cor- dom of movement,” he said.
Wu Huan, was on the run true,” ministry spokesperson both through official means ruption campaign. Under “The idea that the Chinese
to avoid extradition back to Hua Chunying said Monday. such as signing extradition President Xi Jinping, China’s would have a clandestine
China because her fiancé was treaties and unofficial means most authoritarian leader center, it makes no sense.”
considered a Chinese dissi- Dubai Police stated Monday such as revoking visas or put- in decades, Beijing brought
dent. Wu told The Associated that any claims of a Chinese ting pressure on family back back 1,421 people in 2020 The U.S. State Department
Press she was abducted from woman detained by local au- home. alone for alleged corruption had no comment on Wu’s
a hotel in Dubai and detained thorities on behalf of a for- and financial crime under specific case or on whether
by Chinese officials at a villa eign country are false, and “(China) really wasn’t inter- Operation Skynet. How- there is a Chinese-run black
converted into a jail, where that Wu freely exited the ested in reaching out until re- ever, the AP could not find site in Dubai.
she saw or heard two other country with her friend three cent years,” said Chen, who comprehensive numbers for
prisoners, both Uyghurs. months ago. has tracked China’s inter- how many Chinese citizens “We will continue to coordi-
national legal actions. “This overall have been detained or nate with allies and partners
She was questioned and “Dubai does not detain any trend is increasingly robust.” deported from overseas in re- to stand against transnational
threatened in Chinese and foreign nationals without cent years. repression everywhere,” it
forced to sign legal docu- following internationally ac- Chen said Uyghurs in par- said in a statement to the AP.
ments incriminating her fi- cepted procedures and local
ancé for harassing her, she law enforcement processes,
said. She was finally released nor does it allow foreign gov-
on June 8 and is now seeking ernments to run any deten-
asylum in the Netherlands. tion centers within its bor-
ders,” said a statement from
While “black sites” are com- the Dubai government media
mon in China, Wu’s account office. “Dubai also follows
is the only testimony known all recognized global norms
to experts that Beijing has and procedures set by inter-
set one up in another coun- national organizations like
try. Such a site would reflect Interpol in the detainment,
how China is increasingly interrogation and transfer of
using its international clout fugitives sought by foreign
to detain or bring back citi- governments.”
zens it wants from overseas,
whether they are dissidents, Black sites are clandestine
corruption suspects or ethnic jails where prisoners gener-
minorities like the Uyghurs. ally are not charged with a
crime and have no legal re-
The AP was unable to con- course, with no bail or court
firm or disprove Wu’s ac- order. Many in China are
count independently, and used to stop petitioners with
she could not pinpoint the grievances against local gov-
exact location of the black ernments, and they often
site. However, reporters have take the form of rooms in
seen and heard corroborating hotels or guesthouses.