미국 국회위원회가 말레이지아의 위구르인 중국 강제송환을 규탄하다

중국의 인권실태를 모니터링하는 목적의 미국 국회 합동위원회의 위원장과 공동위원장은 8월 31일 중국 정부에 말레이지아에서 중국으로 강제추방당한 11명의 위구르인(Uighur)의 행방과 현재 상태를 밝히라 촉구하였습니다. 국회 상하 양원의원들로 구성된 합동위원회는 이러한 중국 정부의 행동이 국제법에  위반된다며, 말레이시아 정부에게도 현재 말레이시아에 체포 구금되어 있는 5명의 위구르인 난민신청자들도 강제추방하지 말도록 강력히 권고하였습니다.

이 위원회의 위원장인 크리스 스미스 (Chris Smith) 하원의원은, 위구르인들의 강제추방이, 추방하는 국가들뿐만 아니라 강제소환에 가담하며 자국 내 심각한 인권 침해에 대한 책임이 있는 중국도 국제법을 노골적으로 위반하는 처사라고 지적하였습니다. 중국의 경제적, 정치적 영향력이 나날이 커져가면서, 중국 주위의 많은 국가들이 위구르족 이주민들을 중국으로 강제추방시키는 현상이 일어나고 있습니다. 중국이, 위구르족 난민과 이주민들을 되돌려 보내주는 국가들과 큰 규모의 무역거래를 체결하거나 원조지원 패키지를 제공하는 것입니다. 중국으로 추방된 위구르인들은 고문, 불법체포, 탄압과 학대 등 심각한 인권침해의 위험에 놓이게 됩니다. 이는 수십년동안 계속되어 온 중국의 신장(Xinjiang)지역의 무슬림 소수민족 위구르족 탄압정책에 이웃국가들까지 끌어들이는 일인 것이라, 스미스 의원은 덧붙였습니다. 이에 앞선 8월 8일에는 파키스탄 정부가2명의 아동을 포함한 5명의 위구르인들을 중국으로 강제추방하였으며, 8월 6일에는 태국 정부가 한 위구르 남성을 방콕에 있는 중국 당국관계자들에게 넘겼었습니다.

말레이지아 정부는 8월 6일 16명의 위구르인들을 체포하였습니다. 국제법은 난민신청자들이 난민지위판정을 받을 권리가 있음을 규정하며,고문위험이 있는 국가로 돌려보내지는 일을 금하고 있습니다.  (출처: Congressional-Executive Commission on China www.cecc.gov)

(Washington, DC)—The chairman and cochairman of a US bipartisan, bicameral commission charged with monitoring human rights in China today called on Chinese authorities to reveal the whereabouts and status of 11 Uyghur men who were forcibly deported from Malaysia to the People’s Republic of China on August 18, in violation of international law.

The American lawmakers also strongly urged Malaysian authorities not to deport the five Uyghur asylum seekers who were arrested and remain in Malaysian custody.

“Forced returns of Uyghurs to China reflect a blatant disregard for international law, not only by the countries deporting Uyghurs, but by the Chinese government, which is complicit in their return and responsible for egregious rights abuses within its borders,” said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), the chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC).

“This most recent incident follows other cases in the past year of Uyghurs returned to China under the sway of Chinese influence in nearby countries. They come as China has increased its economic and political reach throughout Asia, concluding large trade deals or aid packages with countries that have deported Uyghur refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants,” said Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) cochair of the commission.

“Tragically, the deported Uyghur men face the real threat of torture, arbitrary detention, and abuse back in China,” Brown said. “The Chinese government has long waged a harsh campaign of suppression in Xinjiang that violates international law and it appears to have conscripted its neighbors to help carry out its oppressive policies. These are deliberate, intentional acts and part of a broader set of policies that threaten the Uyghur culture, religion, and language.”

“The Chinese government claims compliance with international law, but its actions speak louder than its words. The Chinese government must end its oppressive policies toward the Uyghurs, stop enlisting its neighbors in its campaigns of suppression, respect the asylum seeker and refugee designations of the UNHCR, and ensure the fundamental rights and freedoms of all its citizens,” Smith said.

Malaysian authorities arrested the group of 16 Uyghurs on August 6. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Kuala Lumpur said that Malaysian authorities did not allow the UNHCR access to any members of the group. The five who remain in Malaysian custody have formally sought asylum with the UNHCR. Information on asylum claims by other members of the group remains unclear. Malaysian authorities allege that all members of the group were involved in a human trafficking ring, charges that do not preclude access to UNHCR procedures or permit deportation to China.

International law mandates that asylum seekers receive a determination of their refugee status and forbids returning any person to a country where she or he faces risk of torture. As documented by the CECC in its Annual Reports, torture and abuse by law enforcement officers remain widespread in China.

The two US lawmakers noted that on August 8, authorities in Pakistan forcibly returned five Uyghurs, including two children, to China. On August 6, authorities in Thailand detained a Uyghur man, Nur Muhammed, and turned him over to Chinese authorities in Bangkok.

CECC Annual Reports have noted worsening human rights conditions in Xinjiang in recent years, as authorities have increased oppressive security campaigns and cracked down on peaceful dissent and independent expressions of Uyghur cultural and religious ident