For over seven years, Ziba Murat has been waiting for news that her mother Gulshan Abbas, a peaceful Uyghur doctor unjustly detained by the CCP, would be released. Seven birthdays have passed. Seven-almost-eight anniversaries of her detention have gone by. And most recently, her eighth Mother’s Day took place with no word from China on when her innocent mother would be returned to her family in America. The more years that go by, the harder it is to hope for her safe return.
So when Murat received an invitation from the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, to attend this year’s State of the Union address, she felt optimism that with the right people raising their voices, she might see her mother again.
This week, as President Trump is in Beijing, Murat – like so many other American citizens separated from their loved ones across China – hopes that this time, her dear mother will be released and returned safely home where she belongs.
Over the past week, President Trump has indicated his intent to raise the cases of other unjustly detained political prisoners across China with Xi Jinping, including famous Hong Konger, Jimmy Lai, and Christian pastor, Ezra Jin Mingri. Signals like these indicate that Washington and Beijing intend to discuss more than just trade and economic issues while President Trump and Xi Jinping meet.
But it’s not just the President’s words that offer encouragement. Today, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives unanimously passed bipartisan resolutions raising the cases of several high priority political prisoners and calling for their release and safe return to their families. Gulshan Abbas, Pastor Jin, Jimmy Lai, Gao Quanfu, and Pang Yu, were among the political prisoners named in the resolutions. Their inclusion in a select list of political prisoners demonstrates the premium the U.S. government places on securing their freedom, and hopefully, at minimum, increases the likelihood that they’re raised by name. That Congress passed this resolution now demonstrates executive and legislative branch alignment in prioritizing the release of political prisoners during the summit.
As President Trump and Xi Jinping prepare to meet, the President should recognize that the U.S. has the upper hand in negotiations. A flagging Chinese economy means that China needs access to U.S. markets more than the U.S. need access to theirs.
The U.S. should take advantage of the strategic leverage it has and request that the CCP – as a sign of goodwill – release high profile political prisoners including Jimmy Lai, Pastor Jin, and Gulshan Abbas, as well as others listed in the congressional resolution. Securing their release would demonstrate American strength and restore hope to American citizen families like Murat’s that they will be reunited with their family members once again.