By Canadian Press

Leak of China documents raises questions about imprisoned Canadian Huseyin Celil

Nov 25, 2019 | 1:42 PM

OTTAWA — The emergence Sunday of a leaked Chinese government blueprint for imprisoning one million Muslim Uighurs in China’s western Xinjiang province is raising questions about a Canadian detainee.

Huseyin Celil, who settled in southern Ontario after becoming a Canadian citizen is a former Uighur activist who has been imprisoned in China for 13 years.

A spokesman for Global Affairs Canada said Monday the government is deeply concerned by Celil’s detention, as well as the human-rights situation for Muslim Uighurs and other minorities in China.

Department spokesman Guillaume Berube said Canada has publicly called on China to release all Uighurs arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang.

The leaked Chinese communist government documents have debunked Beijing’s claims that it is running a voluntary employment and language-training program aimed at integrating Uighurs into mainstream Chinese society.

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They detail China’s imprisonment and efforts to indoctrinate members of the Uighur minority, and the use of artificial intelligence and video surveillance to achieve that end.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2019.

— with files from the Associated Press

The Canadian Press