Canadians Detained Abroad
Amnesty International is calling on Li Qiang, the Premier of the People’s Republic of China, to release Huseyin Celil and allow him to be reunited with his family in Canada.
Huseyin Celil is a member of China’s Uyghur minority and a human rights activist. In 2001, he fled China after being in jail for supporting the religious and political rights of the Uyighur people. The United Nations recognized him as a refugee.
The Chinese authorities falsely accused Huseyin of serious offences because of his activities in support of Uyghur rights. They held Huseyin in a secret place. He was not given access to a lawyer, his family, or Canadian officials. The Chinese authorities threatened and tortured him and forced him to sign a confession. They refused to recognize Huseyin’s status as a Canadian citizen, and they did not allow Canadian officials to attend his trial. The trial was not conducted fairly, and he was sentenced to life in prison, later reduced to 20 years in February 2016.
Learn More
Amnesty International Canada activists persevere in demanding justice for Huseyin Celi
What else you can do
Visit the Huseyin Celil campaign page for additional actions you can take.
Amnesty’s Free Xinjiang Detainees campaign profiles over 100 individuals who are among the perhaps one million or more people in arbitrary detention in internment camps and prisons in Xinjiang
