Amnesty International said Tuesday that a Uyghur student who it had said was missing in Hong Kong after being interrogated did not travel to the city, easing concerns over his safety but raising questions over how the allegations first emerged.
The human rights group said last Friday that Abuduwaili Abudureheman, who was born in Xinjiang in western China, had traveled to Hong Kong from South Korea to visit a friend on May 10 and had not been heard from since he texted his friend about being questioned at the city’s airport.
But Amnesty International said the student told the group on Tuesday that he did not travel to Hong Kong, “contrary to previous information received.”
UYGHUR STUDENT MISSING FOR WEEKS AFTER BEING INTERROGATED BY POLICE AT AIRPORT IN HONG KONG
The school declined to provide the student’s contact details, citing privacy concerns. It did not provide evidence of the student’s whereabouts, but said the professor communicated with him and confirmed his presence in South Korea. The professor didn’t respond to calls from the AP.
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Abuduwaili Abudureheman has been studying in Seoul for seven years. In alleging his disappearance, Amnesty International said last Friday that he appeared to have been detained and interrogated at Hong Kong’s airport. It raised questions about the Hong Kong government’s possible involvement in human rights violations that rights groups accuse the Chinese government of committing against Uyghurs.
China denies the accusations, which are based on interviews with survivors and photos and satellite images of the Xinjiang region where many Uyghurs live.