China risks international extradition row over case of Uygur man detained in Morocco
- Yidiresi Aishan was detained in Casablanca earlier this month on an Interpol red notice issued by China
- A US Congressman has said he will ask Morocco to halt proceedings and campaigners have urged France to intervene in the case
The detention of a Uygur man in Morocco on an Interpol red notice issued by Beijing threatens to spark another row over international extradition rules.
Yidiresi Aishan, 33, who has been based in Turkey since 2012, was detained on arrival in Casablanca on July 19 and is being held at the Tiflet Detention Centre, according to Ilyas Dogan, a Turkish human rights lawyer retained by Aishan’s family.
US congressman Chris Smith, the co-chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, indicated on Tuesday that he would ask the Moroccan authorities to withhold extradition proceedings against Aishan.
Aishan, who took up advocacy work for Uygurs, also faced the threat of being sent back to China from Turkey, where he was detained several times between 2016 and 2018, according to his wife, who gave her name as Zeynure.
Details of the charges against him have not been made public.
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Beijing hits back at Western sanctions against China’s alleged treatment of Uygur Muslims
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday he was not familiar with the case but that the international community should work together to fight all forms of terrorism.
