World Uyghur Congress urges Secretary Rubio to raise China's transnational repression of Uyghurs during Uzbekistan visit

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The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) issued a press release on October 17, 2026, urging US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to raise concerns over the growing vulnerability of Uyghurs in Central Asia to China's transnational repression as he prepares to visit Uzbekistan next week. Rubio is expected to attend the C5+1 Ministerial, lead a US commercial delegation of more than 200 business executives, and meet the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian states. According to the WUC, Central Asia has emerged as both a refuge for Uyghurs fleeing persecution in China's Xinjiang region and a place where they remain vulnerable to pressure, surveillance, intimidation, arbitrary detention and forced returns to China. 'Uyghurs living in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and other countries in Central Asia have long faced pressure because of Beijing's demands for cooperation against Uyghur political, cultural, and religious activity,' the organisation said. The WUC asked Washington to demand an end to the forced return of Uyghurs to China through deportation, extradition or other transfers — warning they would face serious risk of persecution, arbitrary detention, torture and other grave human rights violations; to press Central Asian governments to reject Chinese requests to monitor, intimidate, detain or silence Uyghurs over their political opinions, peaceful activism, religious practices or contact with relatives abroad; to ensure refugees and asylum seekers get fair asylum procedures and effective safeguards against refoulement; and to link expanded trade, investment, security cooperation and diplomatic engagement to measurable commitments to prevent transnational repression, so that Uyghur safety is not sacrificed for diplomatic or economic relations with Beijing. [1][2]

Why it matters

This statement is worth recording for three reasons. First, it is the WUC's own press release — a verifiable institutional act — and its asks are not generic: tied to a concrete diplomatic calendar (the C5+1 Ministerial plus a US business delegation), they are specific and trackable: an end to forced returns, rejection of surveillance requests, asylum-procedure guarantees, and linking cooperation to measurable commitments. This site can follow up on whether Rubio raised them, what he said, and what followed. Second, it continues a September move: before Xi Jinping's US visit, WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun urged Donald Trump to raise the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang and China's transnational repression in Washington, calling it 'a strategic moment to move beyond words of condemnation' — the same agenda is now being carried into the Central Asia diplomatic arena, with transnational repression being cultivated as a standing diplomatic issue. Third, the statement invokes a precedent: in 2019 then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly raised the Uyghur issue with Central Asian leaders, urging them not to deport Uyghurs to China, and reiterated the concern during a 2020 visit to Kazakhstan; the WUC calls Rubio's trip a 'rare opportunity' to follow that precedent. A conservative note: 'transnational repression' is the WUC's institutional characterisation; this record documents the organisation's claims and asks. Whether Rubio will raise them, and how Central Asian governments respond, remain unknown — hence the 'under ongoing verification' grading. [1][2]

Full report

The WUC's October 17 press release says Rubio's visit to Uzbekistan is an important opportunity for Washington to ensure that 'expanding economic and strategic ties with Central Asian countries go hand in hand with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms'. Rubio is expected to attend the C5+1 Ministerial, lead a US commercial delegation of more than 200 executives, and meet the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian states. The subtext is clear: trade and security should not squeeze out the Uyghur question. [2]

On the situation of Uyghurs in Central Asia, the WUC says: 'Uyghurs living in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and other countries in Central Asia have long faced pressure because of Beijing's demands for cooperation against Uyghur political, cultural, and religious activity.' Central Asia is both a refuge and a risk zone: Uyghur communities continue to face surveillance, intimidation, arbitrary detention and the risk of forced return to China. [1][2]

The WUC's specific asks include: an end to the forced return of Uyghurs to China through deportation, extradition or other transfers, warning of persecution, arbitrary detention, torture and other serious human rights violations; pressing Central Asian governments to reject Chinese requests to monitor, intimidate, detain or silence Uyghurs over political opinions, peaceful activism, religious practices or contact with relatives abroad; ensuring refugees and asylum seekers get fair asylum procedures and effective safeguards against refoulement; and making human rights protections an integral part of deeper US partnerships with Central Asian countries by linking expanded trade, investment, security cooperation and diplomatic engagement to measurable commitments to prevent transnational repression. [2]

The statement invokes a US precedent in Central Asia: in 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly raised the Uyghur issue with Central Asian leaders, urging them not to deport Uyghurs to China, and reiterated the concern during a 2020 visit to Kazakhstan. The WUC says Rubio now has a 'rare opportunity' to follow that precedent and reaffirm US government support for Uyghur rights across Central Asia. [1]

Notable background: before Xi Jinping's US visit in September, WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun urged Donald Trump to raise the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang and China's transnational repression of diaspora communities in Washington, calling it 'a strategic moment to move beyond words of condemnation'. This statement carries the same agenda into Rubio's Central Asia trip. [2]

Verification note: this record documents the verifiable institutional act — the WUC's October 17 press release, as reported by IANS/ANI wires. The descriptions of 'transnational repression' and the situation of Uyghurs in Central Asia are the WUC's institutional claims and have not been independently verified by this site; whether Rubio will raise these asks, and how Central Asian governments respond, remain to be seen. This site will continue to follow the trip's schedule and public statements. [1][2]

Primary sources

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