Activists: Morocco arrests Uyghur man at China's request

RABAT – Moroccan authorities person arrested a Uyghur activistic successful exile based connected a Chinese coercion warrant distributed by Interpol, according to accusation from Moroccan constabulary and a rights radical that tracks radical detained by China.

Activists fearfulness Yidiresi Aishan volition beryllium extradited to China, and accidental the apprehension is politically driven and portion of a broader Chinese run to hunt down perceived dissidents extracurricular its borders.

Morocco’s General Directorate for National Security said Tuesday that a Chinese national was arrested aft landing astatine Mohammed V International Airport successful Casablanca connected July 20, upon accomplishment from Istanbul.

He “was the taxable of a reddish announcement issued by Interpol owed to his suspected belonging to an enactment connected the lists of violent organizations,” the directorate said.

The reddish announcement — the equivalent of being enactment connected Interpol’s most-wanted database — was issued astatine the petition of China, which is seeking his extradition, the directorate said. It said Moroccan authorities notified Interpol and the Chinese authorities astir the arrest, and the Chinese national was referred to prosecutors pending the extradition procedure.

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Moroccan constabulary didn't publically sanction the arrested man, but nongovernmental enactment Safeguard Defenders identified him arsenic Aishan. The radical specializes successful cases of radical detained by China.

Aishan, a 33-year-old machine technologist and begetter of three, has been based successful Turkey since 2012, wherever helium worked arsenic a web decorator and activistic and has residency papers, according to person and workfellow Abduweli Ayup. Aishan worked connected a Uyghur diaspora online paper and assisted different activists successful media outreach and collecting testimonies of maltreatment successful China’s Xinjiang province.

After repeated arrests successful Turkey, Aishan near Istanbul for Casablanca connected the evening of July 19, Ayup said. Aishan called his woman connected Saturday and said helium was being deported, according to Ayup, who is successful interaction with Aishan’s family.

Interpol and the Chinese Embassy successful Morocco didn't instantly respond to requests for remark connected the arrest. The nonstop charges against him are unclear.

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Morocco ratified an extradition pact with China successful 2017, among respective specified treaties China has made successful caller years.

China has described its sweeping lockup of a cardinal oregon much Uyghurs and different mostly Muslim minorities arsenic a “war against terror,” aft knifings and bombings by a tiny fig of extremist Uyghurs autochthonal to Xinjiang. Researchers accidental galore guiltless radical person been detained for things similar going overseas oregon attending spiritual gatherings.

Safeguard Defenders has appealed to the Moroccan ambassadors successful Washington and Brussels not to extradite Aishan. It is “not uncommon” for Chinese authorities to get Interpol reddish notices for Uyghur and different dissidents abroad, said Peter Dahlin of Safeguard Defenders.

In a akin case, a Chinese teen who says he’s a U.S. imperishable nonmigratory was arrested successful Dubai, United Arab Emirates, successful April portion transferring for a flight. Chinese officials had sought Wang Jingyu, a 19-year-old student, implicit his online comments astir deadly borderline clashes betwixt Chinese and Indian forces past year. The U.S. State Department called it a quality rights concern. Wang was freed successful May, and helium and his fiancee fled to the Netherlands.

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Experts accidental some cases provender into increasing fears of extraterritorial scope by China.

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Angela Charlton reported from Paris.

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