January 12, 2020
Ambassador Samuel D. Brownback
Office of International Religious Freedom
U.S. Department of State
2201 C St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520
Dear Ambassador Brownback:
On behalf of the Uyghur Human Rights Project I wish to extend my sincere gratitude for
the work you have done as the Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom.
I wish to thank you for being one of the strongest advocates for the cause of human
rights for the Uyghur people in the Administration over the past four years. As the scale
of the crimes against humanity happening in East Turkistan became clear, you were
among the first to speak out. You made it clear that the mass detentions, sterilizations,
forced labor regime and establishment of a high-tech police state show the CCP’s
intention to annihilate the religious and cultural identity of the Uyghurs and other Turkic
peoples.
The first International Religious Freedom Ministerial in 2018 was an important venue to
raise the issue among an international audience of officials. The Office of International
Religious Freedom was also critical in providing a provide a platform for Uyghur voices
at the UN General Assembly in 2019. Stating that the Chinese government’s actions are
in no way legitimate “counter-terrorism,” as you did in your Washington Post op-ed in
2019, is a critical point that officials must emphasize.
I hope that you take the sanctions placed on you by the CCP government as a personal
achievement and badge of honor. Clearly your voice has made an impact.
Again, thank you so much for your solidarity and your leadership. Your name will be
remembered by Uyghurs in future generations as a visionary hero in our time of dire
crisis.
Sincerely yours,
Omer Kanat
Executive Director
This post was originally published on UYGHUR HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT BLOG.
