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Chinese Christian in US to give evidence of abuses in Xinjiang detention camp

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A Christian citizen of China has arrived in the US to provide evidence supporting a case submitted to the International Criminal Court that China has committed crimes against humanity at its detention camps in Xinjiang, Axios reports. Detained and tortured in a Xinjiang camp for 10 months, Ovalbek Turdakun gave thanks to God after he and his wife and child arrived safely in Washington DC on April 8.

Turdakun was brought to the US after lobbying by rights activists, attorneys, and two US congressmen because he is considered an important witness in the ICC case against China, Axios said.

While he is a Chinese citizen, Turdakun is an ethnic Kyrgyz: together with the Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Tajiks, and Hui who live in Xinjiang, the Kyrgyz have been persecuted by the Chinese government. Moreover, Ovalbek is a practicing Christian: his being so casts doubt on China’s claims that the camps in Xinjiang are for deradicalizing Islamic extremists, Axios said.

Ovalbek has also studied law and attests that he observed the actions of Chinese authorities and can give details on particular actions by Chinese authorities that violate human rights law. “Those details may include the precise layout of the camp where Ovalbek was detained, the treatment to which detainees have been subjected, and information on the technology used to surveil them,” Axios reports.

In a statement following his arrival in the US, Ovalbek said: “First, I’m grateful to our God. 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.”