The News Lens
Date: 2019/03/13
By: Amy Gunia
Credit: Reuters / TPG
US diplomat Sam Brownback has spoken out against religious persecution of Muslims and Christians in China.
U.S. diplomat Samuel Brownback denounced China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority during a teleconference call Tuesday. Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, make up roughly 40 percent of the population of the northwestern province of Xinjiang. According to the U.N., an estimated 1 million Uyghurs are being held in internment camps in Xinjiang.
“We have been putting out very clearly that this is a horrific situation that’s taking place in Xinjiang,” said Brownback, the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
Brownback was speaking Tuesday from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, where he is leading a regional conference on religious freedom to raise awareness of the issue.
In response to a question submitted by TIME, Brownback said that international pressure on China over their treatment of Uyghurs is causing Beijing to change their approach.
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