A Christian Chinese citizen who was held for several months in a Xinjiang, China detention camp has arrived in the U.S. to provide evidence in a case submitted to International Criminal Court prosecutors in The Hague, Netherlands.
Obulbek Turdaqun will give testimony that human rights lawyers say is vital to their case, arguing that China has committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, according to an exclusive report by the news outlet Axios.
As CBN News has reported, China's detention camps have been described as places of murder, rape, forced sterilization and essentially present-day concentration camps. These are all tactics the communist regime is reportedly using against millions of Muslims known as Uighurs and other ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians.
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
The Washington, D.C.-based Newline Institute for Strategy and Policy released a report last March that cited evidence of these crimes that included public and leaked Chinese state documents, testimony from more than 10,000 eyewitnesses, and satellite images. The overall conclusion: it all points to President Xi Jinping's brutal goal to force the country's 55 ethnic minorities, including Uighurs, to abandon their identities and meld with China's Han culture.
Obulbek and his wife and child were authorized to enter the U.S. on a special public benefit parole, but it grants no immigration status, according to Axios.
'Finally Realizing a Long-Held Hope'
"I feel so happy to safely arrive with my family in America. For us, this means finally realizing a long-held hope," he told the outlet after landing at Dulles International Airport 26 miles west of Washington, D.C.
"First, I'm grateful to our God," Obulbek said. "I'm also grateful to the U.S. government and the friends who helped us the whole time. We would not have been able to safely arrive in America without their help."
Axios reports Obulbek, an ethnic Kyrgyz, is the first Christian detained in the camps to come forward publicly about his experience. He has also studied law and watched the actions of Chinese authorities during his confinement.
Detained, Tortured for 10 Months
He was jailed in February of 2018 by Chinese officials who claimed that he stayed longer than he was permitted on a trip to Kyrgyzstan, according to a detention record viewed by Axios.
Obulbek he and other prisoners in the camp were interrogated for hours while being strapped into "tiger chairs" that his Chinese guards use to torture inmates.
The prisoners also were also given shots. Those who received the "vaccinations" became sick. Obulbek said he lost the ability to walk and had to be carried around by his fellow prisoners for several months.
After his release in November of 2018, he was placed under house arrest for almost one year. Obulbek left Xinjiang with his family and they escaped by walking to Kyrgyzstan.
Congressional Lawmakers Give Support
He received support in the U.S. from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ). Smith is the top Republican on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a House panel that works to elevate human rights issues across the government, according to Axios.
The lawmakers reportedly pressured the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to expedite the family's travel to the U.S.
"I am thrilled that the Obulbek family has arrived safely in the United States," Smith told Axios. "Once they have settled in, I anticipate hearing testimony on Xinjiang's forced labor camps."
Did you know?
God is everywhere—even in the news. That’s why we view every news story through the lens of faith. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1.
Support CBN News
