Rayhan Asat
@rayhanasat.bsky.social
460 followers 88 following 22 posts
Human rights lawyer and international law scholar. Osgoode Hall, Harvard, Oxford alum. Senior Legal and Policy Advisory & China Project Lead at Atlantic Council Strategic Litigation.
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Reposted by Rayhan Asat
I have long appreciated Elizabeth Tsurkov's rigorous & dedicated scholarship & the appeals to common human decency in her social media presence. I hope she is reunited with her loved ones soon & that the Iran-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah ceases to exist. www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Report: Progress in talks to release Elizabeth Tsurkov, Israeli held in Iraq since 2023
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www.haaretz.com
Harvard stands out as one of the premier universities in the world, thanks to its exceptional faculty, diverse international community, and extensive resources. While it is not without its shortcomings, Harvard is committed to continuous improvement.
During my time at @harvard as an international student, I faced with life-changing event when my brother was taken hostage by the Chinese government. This experience was deeply unsettling. But, I found immense support from my friends in the @harvard community when I chose to share his story publicly
Reposted by Rayhan Asat
Hear SLP's @rayhanasat.bsky.social speak at an event hosted by @ipinst.bsky.social and the @ushmm.bsky.social Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, “The Ongoing Mass Atrocity Crimes Against the Uyghurs and How the UN Can Respond.”

Register now to attend in-person ⬇️
buff.ly/vM40MEe
Reposted by Rayhan Asat
Honored to join @rayhanasat.bsky.social @rushanabbas.bsky.social @benmauk.bsky.social at this @ipinst.bsky.social @ushmm.bsky.social event, where we will discuss ongoing #crimesagainsthumanity targeting #Uyghurs, #UN responses (or lack thereof), and next steps.
Following the film, there will be a panel discussion and Q&A with Rayhan Asat (@rayhanasat.bsky.social), Rushan Abbas (@rushanabbas.bsky.social) , Sophie Richardson, and me.

Thanks to the IPI and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for supporting and hosting this event.

mailchi.mp/ipinst/the-o...
IPI Event: The Ongoing Mass Atrocity Crimes Against the Uyghurs and How the UN Can Respond on May 1st
mailchi.mp
Reposted by Rayhan Asat
On May 1 in NYC, I'll be screening a new theatrical version of REEDUCATED, our New Yorker documentary about China's mass internment of minorities, at the International Peace Institute. Register at the link below.

@newyorker.com @ipinst.bsky.social @ushmm.bsky.social

mailchi.mp/ipinst/the-o...
IPI Event: The Ongoing Mass Atrocity Crimes Against the Uyghurs and How the UN Can Respond on May 1st
mailchi.mp
Reposted by Rayhan Asat
Following the film, there will be a panel discussion and Q&A with Rayhan Asat (@rayhanasat.bsky.social), Rushan Abbas (@rushanabbas.bsky.social) , Sophie Richardson, and me.

Thanks to the IPI and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for supporting and hosting this event.

mailchi.mp/ipinst/the-o...
IPI Event: The Ongoing Mass Atrocity Crimes Against the Uyghurs and How the UN Can Respond on May 1st
mailchi.mp
Thank you so much for @tlhumanrights.bsky.social for calling my brother’s release.. We must bring Ekpar home.
This month marks 9 years since #Uyghur entrepreneur Ekpar Asat was disappeared by PRC authorities & sentenced to 15 years in solitary confinement. #China must grant him communication access & free him immediately without conditions.
@coons.senate.gov is his #DefendingFreedoms advocate.
I’m grateful to Lukas Goyret for interviewing me about China’s atrocity crimes in Argentina. For Argentinians, concepts like enforced disappearance, torture, and arbitrary detention are all too real, given the country’s history with dictatorship. t.co/Vca0E3UbbB
This act makes Thailand complicit in egregious human rights violations, and it must be held accountable for its role in perpetuating what amounts to an act of genocide. She is also individually responsible. Chinese news confirmed about their repatriation.
!!!!! Devastating News!!!!

The Thai Prime Minister has effectively condemned 40 #Uyghur refugees to grave danger by repatriating them to China, despite their long-standing ordeal of severe mistreatment in a Thai refugee center & the well-documented risk of torture & possible death upon their return
Reposted by Rayhan Asat
It was a great pleasure to speak to @rayhanasat.bsky.social about the situation of Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang, the role forced labour there plays in the global economy & the role of "influencers" & Beijing-aligned "journalists" in whitewashing the abuses. michaeldeibert.substack.com/p/people-don...
"People don’t suffer less because of the identity of the perpetrator. They suffer equally."
A Conversation with Rayhan Asat
michaeldeibert.substack.com
Reposted by Rayhan Asat
“The suffering of Palestinians reverberates with a familiar pain,” writes SLP’s @rayhanasat.bsky.social, drawing parallels between the crisis in Gaza and the ongoing repression of the Uyghur population in China.

Check out @theatlantic.com to read more ⬇️
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
The Global Outrage Machine Skips the Uyghurs
China grandstands about Gaza while repressing a Muslim community within its own borders. Hardly anyone seems to notice.
www.theatlantic.com
Reposted by Rayhan Asat
Nice to see two Democracy in Exile essays cited here in @theatlantic.com, though this piece doesn't really engage substantively with the comparisons between Gaza and Xinjiang—and might also leave you asking what the "global outrage machine" actually is? www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
Reposted by Rayhan Asat
The first article mentioned is @rayhanasat.bsky.social's great essay on how Gaza's destruction mirrors the repression in Xinjiang: "As a Uyghur human rights lawyer forced to live in exile, I see Xinjiang everywhere. But nowhere more starkly than in places like Gaza." dawnmena.org/how-justice-...
How Justice Is Denied From Palestine to the Uyghur Homeland
As a Uyghur human rights lawyer forced to live in exile, I see Xinjiang everywhere. But nowhere more starkly than in places like Gaza.
dawnmena.org
Statement on my brother’s birthday.
Reposted by Rayhan Asat
Today marks #Uyghur entrepreneur #US #StateDepart #IVLP alum #EkparAsat’s 8th b’day in #China govt #arbitrarydetention, family’s enduring #collectivepunishment. Aspire to secure his, many others’ releases so families can celebrate freely & together.

humanrightscommission.house.gov/DFP/Countrie...
Ekpar Asat
Status: Imprisoned Country: China Advocate: Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE)
humanrightscommission.house.gov
It marks the 6th anniversary of Rehmutulla, a toddler who was left in the care of grandparent after his parents were sent to camps. He wandered off & was found dead in a cold winter. How many #Uyghurs kids like him? Would his death shock the consciousness of the world as it did in other atrocities?
So concerned about Ekpar. He’s not even allowed to call for 2 minutes lately. The last time he called my parents, he was forced to speak in Chinese. When you grew up speaking #Uyghur w/ family, speaking in Chinese is not just inconvenience 别扭 but takes away intimate connections