The family of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a retired physician and ethnic Uyghur imprisoned in China since 2018, expressed hope on March 16 that the upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could help secure her release. Abbas’s daughter, Ziba Murat, and sister, Rushan Abbas, told Military.com that despite international attention and advocacy from U.S. officials, Gulshan remains detained under deteriorating health conditions.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about Americans and their relatives held as political prisoners in China. Advocacy efforts have brought the story to high-profile venues such as presidential State of the Union addresses and meetings with senior U.S. officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Rushan Abbas said her sister’s disappearance followed her own public speech criticizing China’s treatment of Uyghurs at a Hudson Institute panel in September 2018. “That was my first public speech ever,” Rushan said to Military.com. “I spoke about mass detention and China’s genocidal policies, outlining the fate of my in-laws. My husband’s entire family went missing.” She added that Gulshan had not engaged in activities typically targeted by authorities but believes her activism led to her sister’s arrest.
Ziba Murat described the personal toll: “I’m grateful for all the support I’m getting from everybody, but [my mother’s] still in jail. She’s not free yet. That just makes me sad that we have so much support, but we still can’t get her out.” Both women noted bipartisan support for their cause but emphasized the urgency as Gulshan enters her eighth year of imprisonment.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), has been active on this issue. Smith said Gulshan’s charges are “completely bogus ‘terrorism’ and ‘social disruption’ charges” meant as retaliation against Rushan’s activism. He also stated: “Unfortunately, Dr. Abbas’ case is not an anomaly—it is a microcosm of a much larger issue.” Smith introduced legislation aimed at securing the release of Americans unjustly detained in China.
Smith has served in Congress representing New Jersey’s 4th District since 1981 according to official records. He was born in Rahway, New Jersey in 1953 and currently lives in Manchester Township as reported by his office. Smith graduated from The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975 according to The College of New Jersey.
As advocacy continues ahead of the Trump-Xi summit, Rushan Abbas said: “This is a great chance for President Trump… maybe he should utilize that friendship or relationship to bring Gulshan to the United States to her family.” The family remains hopeful that diplomatic engagement will lead to progress for Gulshan Abbas and others facing similar circumstances.
