Uyghur advocates have urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to seek commitments not to deport Uyghurs to China and to protect them from Beijing’s transnational repression during his upcoming meetings with Central Asian officials, the leader of a prominent Uyghur rights organization told Radio Free Asia.

Rubio is leading a U.S. delegation of more than 200 business representatives and will arrive in Uzbekistan on Saturday for the first leg of a six-day trip that also includes two stops in India. While in Samarkand, he will attend the C5+1 ministerial meetings – with officials from the five Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

marco-rubio U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards a plane, Oct. 8, 2026, in Lisbon. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

According to the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project, more than 400,000 Uyghurs live in these Central Asian countries and combined they form the “vast majority” of the Uyghur diaspora outside of East Turkestan, which is the name by which Uyghurs call their homeland, currently under the control of the People’s Republic of China.

As a U.S. senator, Rubio was a champion of Uyghur issues and now as Washington’s top diplomat, he is expected to discuss the safety and rights of Uyghurs with the C5 leaders, Abdureshit Abdulhamit, vice president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, told RFA.

“We urge him to seek clear commitments that no Uyghur will be forcibly returned to China, where they could face persecution, imprisonment or torture,” said Abdureshit. “Uyghurs seeking protection should have access to fair asylum procedures.”

He also urged Rubio to address intimidation and surveillance targeting Uyghur communities, saying people should be able to preserve their culture, discuss detained relatives and communicate abroad without fear.

Communities at risk

Compared to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Uyghurs in Uzbekistan face more challenges to their social and cultural rights, Zumretay Erkin, another vice president of the organization, told RFA.

“Uzbekistan is also complicit in deporting Uyghurs to China at the explicit request of the Chinese government,” she said. “Uyghurs are subjected to tight surveillance and transnational repression.”

Zumretay said Rubio’s diplomatic visit is a “unique opportunity to raise Uyghur human rights, even in a trade and investment context,” noting that the U.S. government was among the first to take action to address the Uyghur genocide.

Washington classified China’s treatment of Uyghurs in the Uyghur region as genocide in 2021.

Moral leadership

Rubio can show the world that the United States’ moral leadership still matters, Omer Kanat, executive director of the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project, wrote in an opinion piece in The Diplomat.

Kanat cited former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s public calls against returning Uyghurs to China as a precedent. He also pointed to Thailand’s February 2025 deportation of 40 Uyghurs as a warning of the consequences when diplomatic efforts fail.

“This upcoming trip to Central Asia gives Rubio a chance to show that the United States won’t countenance a repeat of that tragedy,” he wrote. “With the right messaging, the trip can fortify China’s neighbors to stand firm against Beijing’s pressure to return Uyghurs to China.”

The WUC also called on Rubio to hear directly from Uyghur representatives and establish follow-up mechanisms for individual cases.

“We would judge the visit by concrete results: stronger protection against deportation, action on cases of harassment and a clear American commitment to follow through after the meetings end,” said Abdureshit.

Edited by Eugene Whong.